Trucking News Roundup: Northwest Reefer Rejections Hit 41%, EEOC Sues a Texas Carrier Over Driver Age Limits, Trucking Jobs Rise a Third Straight Month, North Carolina Pauses Its Diesel Tax, Fake Broker Diverts a Reefer Load (Oct 11, 2026)

Northwest reefer rejections average 41% as harvest freight swamps capacity

FreightWaves Chart of the Week by Zach Strickland (Oct 10, 2026), using SONAR regional tender rejection data: The national rejection rate has cooled to roughly 13.8% over the last two weeks, but two regions are running far hotter. The Northwest hit 20.27% on Oct. 8, the highest of any region and more than three times its 6.2% reading a year earlier, with the Midwest close behind at 18.61%. Every other region sits between 7.6% and 13.1%.

The Northwest jump is a reefer story: refrigerated rejections there have averaged 41% so far in October, against about 17% in July, while dry van rejections are below 5%. Reefer tender volume in the region is up 65% since July as apple and potato harvests in Washington, Oregon and Idaho move to market, and FreightWaves expects that pressure to fade as the harvest ends this winter.

The Midwest is the longer-running signal: it has stayed near or above 15% since February, with volume up about 10% year over year, van rejections near 15% and reefer rejections near 29%. FreightWaves also noted domestic intermodal volume through the Atlanta and Dallas hubs was up 15% to 20% year over year last week.

What it means: Temperature-controlled capacity is the tight spot this fall, so reefer shippers should book earlier and expect firmer pricing out of harvest and Midwest lanes. Our guide to shipping refrigerated loads out of DFW — or get a freight quote on dry van or reefer. Reefer company drivers start at 60+ CPM — company drivers.

• Source: FreightWaves — The two tightest regions tell two very different stories about the freight market

Texas: EEOC sues a Pharr carrier over age limits tied to its insurance policy

FreightWaves (Oct 9, 2026): The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has sued Trancasa USA Inc., a cross-border carrier based in Pharr, Texas, in federal court in McAllen, claiming it turned away older driver applicants in violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. The complaint, filed Sept. 24, says the company followed eligibility rules linked to a liability insurance policy bought in 2023: drivers had to be between 23 and 65, applicants under 25 or over 60 were disqualified for any violation or accident in the previous three years, and drivers 63 to 65 had to hand in the long-form medical examination report (Form MCSA-5875).

The EEOC says a 64-year-old applicant with more than 20 years of experience and a clean record was rejected in November 2023 after being told the insurer would not approve him, and that other applicants over 60 were turned down the same way since mid-2023. Ronald L. Phillips, acting regional attorney for the EEOC's Dallas office, said an employer can't excuse discrimination by pointing to a contract with an insurer or customer. The agency also says federal rules do not require carriers to collect the long-form medical report. These are allegations; FreightWaves said Trancasa and its former insurers had not responded.

What it means: Drivers 40 and older are protected by federal law, and an insurer's eligibility list does not change that. Carriers should review any insurance-driven hiring screens with counsel. Drivers with a valid Class A CDL and a current DOT medical card can apply here: company drivers; owner-operators — owner-operators.

• Source: FreightWaves — Texas trucking firm sued over age limits on drivers

Trucking payrolls grow for a third straight month

Land Line (Oct 9, 2026), on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report: Trucking added close to 3,000 jobs in September, its third monthly gain in a row and the first time since April 2023 that the industry employed more people than a year before. That makes only seven monthly increases since February 2023, four of them this year.

The gains come while diesel stays expensive — AAA's national average peaked at $6.53 a gallon on Sept. 22 — and Land Line reported at least 16 trucking bankruptcy filings in the month ending Sept. 21. Arrive Logistics' David Spencer said higher linehaul rates are giving well-positioned carriers room to grow.

Land Line pointed out that BLS payroll counts leave out the self-employed, so an owner-operator who takes a company seat can raise the jobs number without adding a driver to the industry. OOIDA Foundation's Andrew King said employment usually trails rates by seven to nine months.

What it means: Carriers with steady freight are hiring again, while small operators are still squeezed by fuel. If you're comparing pay offers, here is how cents-per-mile pay works for dry van and reefer drivers. Company drivers — company drivers; owner-operators who want to stay independent with non-forced dispatch — owner-operators.

• Source: Land Line — Rising trucking employment may hide a deeper industry shift

North Carolina pauses its 41-cent fuel tax on gas and diesel through Nov. 30

Office of the North Carolina Governor (Oct 9, 2026) and Land Line (Oct 9, 2026): Gov. Josh Stein signed House Bill 3 on Oct. 9, suspending the state's 41-cents-per-gallon motor fuel tax — on both gasoline and diesel — through Nov. 30, with the roughly $360 million cost backfilled from state reserves. The law also lifts penalties through year-end for farmers and certain other users running red-dyed diesel on the highway. Lawmakers cautioned that pump prices may lag, because stations are still selling fuel they bought with the tax already paid.

Land Line's state roundup noted that not every holiday helps truckers: Indiana's extended break covers gasoline only, so diesel buyers still pay the full tax there. Massachusetts' governor has asked lawmakers to suspend the 24-cent fuel tax for two months, Michigan is debating a pause of its 52.4-cent tax, and Pennsylvania — whose 74.1-cent diesel tax is the highest in the country — has several bills to cut or suspend it. IFTA reminds carriers that miles and gallons in holiday states still have to be tracked and reported on quarterly returns.

What it means: Keep every fuel receipt and your mileage by state, holiday or not; the tax rate changes, the IFTA filing doesn't. Owner-operators who buy their own fuel — owner-operators. Shippers watching fuel surcharges — get a freight quote.

• Source: North Carolina Governor — Gov. Stein signs House Bill 3 suspending state gas tax
• Source: Land Line — Fuel taxes are getting cut, but will truckers see the savings?

Fake broker talks a reefer driver into diverting a $273,000 seafood load

FreightWaves (Oct 9, 2026), citing the North Arlington, New Jersey, police department: On Oct. 3, a truck driver hauling about 29,000 pounds of frozen seafood — shrimp, salmon, conch and branzino valued at more than $273,000 — got calls and texts from someone claiming to work for the shipment's real broker, telling him to divert part of the load for a transfer. At the new spot, two people began moving pallets from the refrigerated trailer into a 26-foot box truck before police showed up.

Officers recovered the whole load and arrested an 18-year-old from the Bronx and a juvenile; charges include second-degree theft by deception and conspiracy, plus a first-degree count for using a juvenile in a crime. Police found the person giving the instructions had no tie to the brokerage; the broker, carrier and shipper were not named, and the case is still open.

What it means: Drivers — if anyone changes a delivery address or asks for a transfer mid-trip, hang up and call your own dispatch on the number you already have, not the one in the text. Maas runs 24/7 dispatch. Shippers — our carrier vetting checklist. Maas is an asset-based carrier and never re-brokers your load — get a freight quote.

• Source: FreightWaves — Fake freight broker redirects $273K seafood shipment in New Jersey

For drivers and shippers (Sunday note)

Drivers: reefer capacity is tight, carriers are hiring again, and fuel taxes are shifting state by state. 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, with 24/7 dispatch. Company drivers start at 50+ CPM dry van and 60+ CPM reefer. Owner-operators keep 87–90% of gross with non-forced dispatch.

Shippers: reefer lanes are tightening and broker impersonation keeps hitting high-value loads. Maas is an asset-based carrier and never re-brokers your load — dry van and reefer full truckload.

What it means: Company drivers — company drivers. Owner-operators — owner-operators. Shippers — get a freight quote.