Connect with freight leaders nationwide at the FreightWaves Roadshow as trucking faces infrastructure, enforcement and market pressure
The FreightWaves Roadshow 2026 is preparing to kick off with a focus on bringing freight and supply chain professionals together in major freight cities around the country. The stated goal is to connect industry participants with insights and strategies tied to how freight is moving and what is shaping carrier operations.
For working drivers, the value of any industry gathering comes down to whether it tracks with what’s happening on the road: where freight is tight, where it’s flowing, and what new rules or investments are likely to affect day-to-day work. Several developments highlighted alongside the roadshow planning reflect that mix of operational and policy pressure points.
One of the biggest is infrastructure. A U.S. Department of Transportation advisory panel recommended two major projects aimed at trucking: a dedicated truck tunnel under the Hudson River and the creation of 1,000 truck parking facilities nationwide. Both recommendations speak directly to persistent driver concerns—bottlenecks in high-density corridors and the ongoing shortage of safe, legal parking.
At the same time, federal transportation officials are also looking at how to pay for improvements at key choke points. In Washington, the Federal Highway Administration has called on the private sector to help come up with additional funding to relieve one of the country’s top freight congestion areas. For drivers, congestion isn’t an abstract issue; it shows up as lost time, disrupted appointments, and more stress in already tight windows.
Regulatory enforcement remains another front with immediate effects. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday that 9,500 truck drivers have been taken off the road for failing English-language requirements. Any large enforcement action like that can ripple through capacity, scheduling, and fleet staffing, especially in areas where hiring has already been difficult.
Meanwhile, carrier stability continues to be tested during the prolonged downturn. MinStar Transport and Transport Design Inc.—each operating fleets of around 100 trucks—reported immediate closures in messages to employees and partners, according to reports circulating in trucking communities on social media. The shutdowns were described as part of a broader trend of failures during the Great Freight Recession, now nearing four years since it began in March 2022.
Technology changes are also moving from pilot programs toward real-world use. Detmar Logistics is involved in a deal that will put 30 autonomous trucks hauling proppants nonstop on public roads. Separately, Torc Robotics, a Daimler Truck subsidiary, plans to integrate Innoviz LiDAR into autonomous Freightliner trucks and pair it with Torc’s virtual driver software. Those programs matter to drivers because they point to where certain types of freight could see more automation first—particularly repetitive, high-mile routes tied to industrial supply chains.
Electrification is also showing up through operational trials. DHL Supply Chain North America said its Tesla Semi pilot exceeded expectations, with the company stating the truck could haul typical DHL freight over long distances on a single charge. These kinds of trials are watched closely by drivers and fleets because they touch on range planning, charging access, and how powertrain changes could affect performance and pay models over time.
On the legal side, a bipartisan group of 30 state attorneys general filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in Montgomery vs. Caribe, arguing that freight brokers should not be protected from state tort liability under the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act’s safety exception. Cases like this matter to drivers because broker responsibility and safety accountability can influence carrier-broker relationships, load screening practices, and how risk is handled across the chain.
Fraud and identity issues are another continuing headache for legitimate carriers and drivers. While federal enforcement was described as stalled, private tools have emerged to help shippers and brokers identify potential “chameleon” carriers, including Freight Validate, SearchCarriers.com, and Genlogs. For drivers working at small fleets—or running under their own authority—fraud prevention affects payment reliability and whether clean operators get undercut by bad actors.
FreightWaves also continues to publish market visibility tools, including its Chart of the Week, which pulls a notable data point from the SONAR platform to illustrate conditions in the freight markets. In a down cycle, clear market signals can help drivers and fleets understand why rates feel the way they do in specific lanes and when demand may be shifting.
- Infrastructure proposals are targeting long-standing driver pain points: congestion and parking.
- Enforcement actions can quickly affect capacity and staffing across fleets.
- Carrier closures underscore how difficult the market remains in the extended downturn.
- Autonomy and electrification pilots are expanding, especially in repeatable freight networks.
- Legal and fraud developments continue to shape accountability and who gets paid.
Put together, the roadshow’s timing lines up with a period where trucking is being pushed on multiple sides—policy, infrastructure, technology, and a market that is still working through a long slump. For drivers, the practical question remains the same: which changes will reduce wasted time and risk, and which will add new complications to an already demanding job.