Has trucking gotten better or worse?

We're at Rotella Super Rigs!

Author

Reed Loustalot
June 26, 2026

TRUCK PARKING CLUB

Friday Bulletin • June 26, 2026

Good Morning Truck Parking Club Members,

How Do You Really Feel About Trucking Right Now?

Forget the rate sheets and the load boards for a minute. This week we want the honest gut check: are you more optimistic or more burned out than a year ago, is the job better or worse than the day you started, and would you tell a friend to get into it today. We're asking every driver on this list, new and 30-year veteran, and we'll share what comes back.

Ten quick questions. $25 promo code shown after you submit.

The Big Thing

The Rules Just Got Lighter and the Liability Just Got Heavier. Both Land in July.

Two things happened in Washington this month that pull in opposite directions, and every operator should understand both before the July 4 week.

First, the lighter side. On June 22 the FMCSA published three final rules that take effect July 22, part of the ongoing deregulatory push to strip out requirements the agency says no longer do anything for safety. None of it touches hours of service, drug and alcohol testing, or CDL standards. What changes is small-ball compliance: you no longer need a paper ELD user manual riding in the cab, the old liquid-burning flare and spare-fuse requirements are gone, and a few lighting and marking rules got exceptions. Nothing here changes how you run. It changes how many things an inspector can write you up for, and that list got a little shorter.

Now the heavier side, and this is the one that matters. Earlier in June the Supreme Court let stand the ruling in Montgomery v. Caribe that brokers can be sued under state law for negligently hiring an unsafe carrier. That decision is already reshaping who gets to haul freight. C.H. Robinson moved fast: it now requires carriers to carry $1 million in coverage, up from $100,000, demands an unrated or satisfactory FMCSA status, and is cutting loose anyone it deems high-risk based on safety data. Notices to dropped carriers started going out in May. Robinson says it affected under 1% of its volume, but Robinson is the bellwether. Every large broker is now doing the same math, because the legal exposure runs straight through them to the carrier they picked.

Put the two together and the picture is clear. The paperwork burden is easing slightly, but the bar to get on a good broker's approved list is rising fast. Clean safety scores, real insurance, and a satisfactory rating are turning from nice-to-haves into the price of admission. If your CSA numbers have drift in them, fix them now through DataQs before a broker's algorithm quietly drops you. The carriers who keep their record clean are about to get more freight, not less, because the field around them is being thinned by liability, not by demand.

Know your ground. Then keep it clean.

Mile Markers

Where the numbers landed this week.

Diesel: $4.832/gal, down about 23 cents on the week. Sixth straight weekly drop, though still about $1.06 higher than a year ago. (EIA)

Spot rates (all-in, national average): Van $2.74, Reefer $3.05, Flatbed $3.30 per mile. Momentum stalled as the pre-July 4 push faded and load posts fell about 10% on the week, but the market is still sitting near multi-year highs and up roughly 50% from a year ago. Flatbed's long weekly streak finally cooled. (DAT)

Stay Off The Ramp

You shouldn't have to choose between a highway ramp and a HOS violation. Thousands of drivers make that call every night. We built Truck Parking Club so you don't have to.

Use code ramp25 for $25 off any daily booking at any of our 5,600+ locations. Find a real spot tonight.

Shell Rotella Promotion

New: Earn up to $100 in Club Cash with Shell Rotella oil change!

Follow the directions at the link below to receive up to $100 in Club Cash from Truck Parking Club when you purchase a minimum 11-gallon Shell Rotella® Synthetic heavy duty diesel engine oil change at participating locations. Offer ends June 30, 2026. Terms apply.

Shell Rotella SuperRigs - June 25-27, Bristol

We're headed to the 44th Annual Shell Rotella SuperRigs at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend, June 25 to 27. Free admission, open to the public, with a truck light show, fireworks, and family activities all weekend. Come find us to get swag, see our truck, and talk parking.

Quick Hits

Super Trucker Membership — $9.99/month

Unmatched flexibility + brand new features, right at your fingertips.

  • 5 refunds per month (cancel before booking starts, money goes to Club Cash)

  • 5 free booking date changes per month

  • 5% Club Cash on every purchase (up from 1%), up to $50/month

  • Access to Truck Navigation with every booking

  • MORE BENEFITS TO COME!

Property Members: Free Signage & Access Controls

Need signage for your lot? Have an automated gate you want connected to our app? We cover it.

News

Brokers Are Quietly Rewriting Their Carrier Lists After the Supreme Court Ruling. Following the Montgomery v. Caribe decision letting brokers be sued for negligent carrier selection, industry groups are pressing FMCSA for a clear federal safety-selection standard before brokers overcorrect and start avoiding perfectly safe carriers just because public data is thin. C.H. Robinson already raised its carrier insurance floor to $1 million and began dropping high-risk carriers in May. If you run your own authority, your safety record is now a sales document. Read more on Trucking Dive

FMCSA Trims the Rulebook, Effective July 22. Three new final rules clear out compliance clutter: no more paper ELD manual required in the cab, the obsolete liquid-burning flare and spare-fuse rules are gone, and there's a new exception for license plate lamps while towing. ATA and OOIDA backed most of it as commonsense cleanup. It won't change your day, but it's a few fewer things to get dinged on at a roadside. Read more on FreightWaves

Diesel Slides for a Sixth Straight Week. The national average fell another 23 cents to $4.832, the lowest in months, as crude stayed soft. Relief is real at the pump, but it's still more than a dollar above last year, and fuel surcharges are dropping 2 to 3 cents a mile right alongside it. Don't rebuild your rate math around one cheap month. Read more on FleetOwner

The Recovery Is Reaching Driver Pay. Carriers are starting to pay up this early in the cycle, a sign they expect tight capacity to stick. New contract rates entering routing guides have climbed about 6% year over year, ending nearly four years of negative rate growth, per DAT. If you drive for a fleet, know your number before your next conversation. Read more on DAT

The Walcott Truckers Jamboree -- July 9-11

The 48th Annual Walcott Truckers Jamboree returns to the Iowa 80 Truckstop off I-80, Exit 284 in Walcott, Iowa. Last year's event drew over 45,000 people.

This year features the Super Truck Beauty Contest, antique truck display, Trucker Olympics, Iowa pork chop cookout, fireworks at 9 PM, and live music all three days. Admission and parking are free.

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