Trucking News Roundup: ATA Says Driver Pay Rose in 2025, FMCSA Plans Split-Sleeper Pilot, Dyed Diesel Still Waits on IRS, Van and Reefer Spot Rates Jump, Radiant Buys Dallas Brokerage (Oct 8, 2026)

ATA study: driver pay kept rising through the 2025 downturn

American Trucking Associations and Transport Topics (Oct 7, 2026): ATA's 2026 Driver Compensation Study, built on data from more than 130 fleets covering over 140,000 employee drivers and 9,000 independent contractors, found pay climbed again in 2025 even as carriers fought soft rates and rising costs. The median for dry van irregular-route employee drivers at for-hire truckload carriers came in at $73,639 for the year, up 8.3% from the 2023 study, and dedicated-route dry van pay rose 4.2%. Leased-on independent contractors at truckload carriers grossed a median of more than $170,000.

ATA said 74% of the for-hire truckload carriers surveyed pay drivers for excessive waiting time, while the median signing bonus slipped $500 to $2,000, and most carriers planned more raises in 2026. ATA chief economist Bob Costello tied the gains to fleets competing to keep safe, qualified drivers.

What it means: Annual medians are a starting point, not a job offer — ask any carrier how pay is figured and which miles count. At Maas, company drivers start at 50+ CPM dry van and 60+ CPM reefer — company drivers. Owner-operators keep 87–90% of gross with non-forced dispatch — owner-operators.

• Source: ATA — Driver pay continues to rise as trucking emerges from tough four years
• Source: Transport Topics — Truck driver pay rises in 2025

FMCSA files second HOS pilot: 5/5 and 6/4 sleeper splits

Federal Register and Land Line (Oct 7, 2026): A day after the notice on pausing the 14-hour clock, FMCSA published a second information-collection notice, this one for a Flexible Sleeper Berth pilot. The current rule makes the longer sleeper period at least 7 hours (the 7/3 or 8/2 split); participating drivers would be allowed to cut that to as little as 5 consecutive hours, so a 5/5 or 6/4 split would count as the 10 hours off. About 256 drivers would take part for 16 weeks, with data from surveys, alertness tests, wrist sleep trackers, logs and telematics gathered by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.

Land Line reports both pilots, 512 drivers in all, are expected to start in 2027. Carrier and driver eligibility mirrors the clock-pause pilot: no Unsatisfactory rating, no FMCSA enforcement action in three years, out-of-service rates no higher than the national average, and no Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse record. Comments are due Dec. 7, 2026 under docket FMCSA-2026-2080.

What it means: Drivers who have been asking for a split that fits real sleep can put that on the record now. Company seats — company drivers. Owner-operators — owner-operators.

• Source: Federal Register: Hours of service of drivers — new information collection
• Source: Land Line: Will HOS pilot programs lead to better working conditions for truckers?

Dyed diesel relief: still no IRS guidance, and truck stops aren't lining up

FreightWaves and Transport Topics (Oct 7, 2026): Two days after the order, the industry reaction is mostly caution. A Breakthrough Fuel client memo said that as of Oct. 6 the IRS had not published implementing guidance, so the relief wasn't working yet, and it told fleets to plan as if the deferred 24.4-cent federal tax will be owed. A joint NATSO/SIGMA advisory called the order mainly a farm-hauling measure, since selling dyed fuel at scale needs separate pumps and rack supply, and warned that a truck crossing into a state that hasn't waived enforcement can still be liable.

Transport Topics noted Treasury has five days from the Oct. 5 order to confirm its legal authority, and that NATSO and the Energy Marketers of America have told members there is no guarantee the tax will be waived. ATA said carriers need clear federal and state guidance on what stays payable.

What it means: For OTR trucks crossing state lines, red fuel is still more paperwork risk than savings. Run the numbers on your own fuel — owner-operators. Shippers budgeting fuel surcharges into Q4 — get a freight quote.

• Source: FreightWaves — Red dye diesel break is being greeted with a big yawn
• Source: Transport Topics — Order on dyed red diesel prices

Truckstop/FTR: dry van spot posts its best week-39 gain since at least 2008

Equipment Finance Advisor, reporting Truckstop and FTR data (Oct 7, 2026): Broker-posted spot rates rose for every main equipment type in the week ended Oct. 2, with dry van posting its strongest gain for that week of the year since at least 2008. Van rates rose 2.7% to $2.86 a mile, about 50% above a year earlier, as van loads rose 10.6% and trucks fell 5.9%. Reefer rates, which usually slip that week, rose 1.5% to $3.54, about 49% above last year, as available reefer trucks dropped 10%.

Total load activity rose 2.6%, truck postings fell 4.6%, and the loads-to-trucks ratio hit its highest level since mid-July.

What it means: Fewer trucks chasing more posted loads is the same tight-capacity story, now showing in van and reefer spot. Shippers who want a direct, asset-based carrier on dry van or reefer — get a freight quote. Drivers — company drivers / owner-operators.

• Source: Equipment Finance Advisor — Spot rates post solid gains in the latest week

Texas: Radiant Logistics buys Whitacre's Dallas operations

Truck News (Oct 7, 2026): Radiant Logistics has acquired the Dallas operations of Whitacre Logistics Services through its Radiant Road & Rail subsidiary, effective Oct. 1. Terms weren't disclosed, though part of the price is tied to how the business performs. The Dallas unit sells intermodal and truck brokerage service to building materials, industrial manufacturing and packaging customers, and it will keep its current leader, Jeff Vielhaber, who will also build out Radiant's agent network.

What it means: Brokerage keeps consolidating, including in DFW. If you would rather book the truck that actually hauls your load, Maas is an asset-based carrier and never re-brokers — get a freight quote. DFW hiring — company drivers / owner-operators.

• Source: Truck News — Radiant Logistics acquires Whitacre's Dallas operations

For drivers (Thursday note)

Pay studies and HOS pilots are good reading, but the questions that matter are simple: how is pay figured, how are miles counted, and does dispatch force loads. If you hold a valid Class A CDL and a current DOT medical card, Maas Logistics runs dry van and reefer full truckload OTR in all 48 states out of Melissa, Texas, serving DFW.

Company drivers start at 50+ CPM dry van and 60+ CPM reefer, and owner-operators keep 87–90% of gross with non-forced dispatch. We are a 15-truck, asset-based carrier with a Satisfactory safety rating and Samsara ELD.

What it means: Company drivers — apply here. Owner-operators — apply here. Shippers — get a freight quote; your load is never re-brokered.