Trucking News Roundup: Thousands of Carriers Suspended Over Motus Insurance Changes, FMCSA Eyes More Hours-of-Service Flexibility, Great Dane Recalls 6,810 Van Trailers, Data Centers Prop Up Freight Demand, and Kodiak Signs a Binding Deal for 75 Driverless Trucks on Texas Lanes (Oct 31, 2026)

Motus insurance changes knock thousands of carriers into suspension

CDLWire, citing Commercial Carrier Journal (Oct 29–30, 2026): On Tuesday, Oct. 27, Dynamic MD, a 50-truck carrier in Carol Stream, Ill., found that FMCSA's Motus registration system had reclassified it from general freight to hazardous materials. That raised its required liability coverage to $1 million, while its filing on record was $750,000, the correct amount for the freight it actually hauls, so the system marked it "Inactive – Involuntary Suspension" without notice. The self-service reinstatement option was greyed out, and the company opened three support tickets. An analysis by the Central Analysis Bureau and CCJ found more than 6,475 carriers whose insurance limits were changed from $750,000 or less to $1 million or more, leading to involuntary suspensions, with roughly 6,000 of those changes made this week. FMCSA did not respond to CCJ's request for comment on the case.

What it means: What it means for carriers, owner-operators and shippers: Check your Motus and SAFER records now: make sure your operation type, required insurance and status are what they should be, screenshot anything that changed on its own, open a ticket and call your state trucking association. Shippers: a long-time carrier showing "inactive" this week may be a database problem, so call before you cut them. Owner-operators who would rather not run their own authority can lease on with Maas and keep 87–90% of gross with non-forced dispatch: https://maaslogistic.com/drive-with-us/owner-operators.

• Source: CDLWire — Motus reclassification hits 6,475 carriers

FMCSA safety chief: more hours-of-service flexibility and SMS changes are coming

Transport Topics and Overdrive (Oct 30, 2026): Speaking Oct. 28 at the WEX OTR Summit in Ponte Vedra, Fla., FMCSA Chief Safety Officer Steve Dowling said the agency will put more focus on hours-of-service flexibility and will put proposed Safety Measurement System changes out for industry comment. FMCSA already revised four HOS provisions in June (the short-haul exception, the adverse driving conditions exception, the 30-minute break and the sleeper berth provision) and started two pilot programs this spring on flexible sleeper berth and split duty periods. Earlier this month it also widened a temporary waiver for fuel haulers to cover ethanol and heating oil; that waiver runs out Dec. 16. Dowling said about 95% of Motus registrations are working and called the other 5% "not acceptable." On ELDs he said, "You can't go in and edit logs by making a phone call." At a separate conference in Nashville on Thursday, FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs said Motus has led to 36 investigations that otherwise would not have started.

What it means: What it means for drivers: No new HOS rule is final yet, so run today's rules. Our plain-English guide covers the 11-hour, 14-hour, 30-minute, 60/70-hour and sleeper berth rules: https://maaslogistic.com/blog/2026-10-30-hours-of-service-rules-for-truck-drivers-guide. Yesterday's roundup covered the ELD reset demonstration that prompted FMCSA's warning: https://maaslogistic.com/news/2026-10-30-shipper-freight-costs-five-year-high-spot-rates-eld-fraud-aurora-charger. Safety at Maas: https://maaslogistic.com/company/safety.

• Source: Transport Topics — FMCSA HOS and SMS updates
• Source: Overdrive — FMCSA safety chief touts Motus success despite struggles

Great Dane recalls 6,810 dry van and reefer trailers over landing-gear welds

CDLWire, citing NHTSA recall 26V708 (Oct 29, 2026): Great Dane is recalling 6,810 certain 2026 and 2027 model year van trailers: 5,623 Champion dry vans built Dec. 9, 2025, through Oct. 5, 2026, and 1,187 Everest reefers built Jan. 9 through Oct. 12, 2026. Welds on the landing-gear K-brace, made by a supplier, may be off the seam, and the gear can collapse. Great Dane says the risk is when a trailer is parked without a tractor and without safety stands, especially during loading and unloading, or if another trailer bumps it. The company estimates about 10% of the recalled trailers have the defect and says it knows of no field injuries or warranty claims. Authorized repair shops will inspect and replace the brace free. Owner letters are planned by Dec. 22, and Great Dane's customer line is 1-877-369-3493. One warning sign: landing-gear legs that are not straight up and down from the trailer floor.

What it means: What it means for drivers and shippers: Docks and drop yards are where this one matters. Check VINs, look at the legs, and put safety stands under any uninspected trailer that is parked without a tractor while it is loaded or unloaded. Shippers: https://maaslogistic.com/services/dry-van-trucking · https://maaslogistic.com/services/refrigerated-trucking.

• Source: CDLWire — Great Dane recalls 6,810 trailers over landing gear
• Source: USA Today — NHTSA recall 26V708000

ATA economist: data centers and shoppers are carrying freight demand

Trucking Dive (Oct 30, 2026): American Trucking Associations chief economist Bob Costello said production of computer and electrical equipment, driven by the data center boom, is leading manufacturing growth, but it is only about 10% of U.S. manufacturing, and without it "you're left with no growth." He called this "a cycle like we have never seen before" that is "all supply driven," with capacity leaving through bankruptcies and mergers and driver supply limited by tighter English-proficiency, non-domiciled CDL and CDL school enforcement. Carriers also face record diesel costs and higher wages. Costello sees no sign of a recession: real GDP is forecast to grow 2.4% this year, up from 2.1% last year, and consumer spending rose at a 3.8% annual rate in September.

What it means: What it means for shippers: Demand is narrow but steady, and the squeeze is on the supply side. Line up dependable capacity before peak season with an asset-based carrier that never re-brokers: https://maaslogistic.com/quote · Texas freight: https://maaslogistic.com/lanes/freight-shipping-texas · DFW: https://maaslogistic.com/lanes/dallas-fort-worth-freight-shipping.

• Source: Trucking Dive — Data centers, consumers are keeping trucking demand afloat

Kodiak signs a binding deal for 75 driverless trucks on Dallas lanes

Kodiak AI press release and TechCrunch (Oct 28, 2026): Kodiak AI signed a binding agreement with DTL Transport, a Fresno, Calif., carrier with more than 100 trucks, to put the Kodiak Driver in 75 driverless trucks that DTL will own and operate while paying Kodiak a per-mile fee. Kodiak calls it the first publicly announced definitive agreement by an interstate carrier to run driverless trucks in its own fleet. The first routes are I-10 between Dallas and El Paso and I-20 between Dallas and Atlanta, and TechCrunch reports deliveries start in 2028. Kodiak also says it plans to launch driverless highway service for IKEA on I-45 between Dallas and Houston by the end of this year. The release includes forward-looking-statement warnings that results may differ.

What it means: What it means for drivers and shippers: Texas keeps getting the first driverless lanes, but these trucks are years from showing up in numbers, and today's freight moves with professional drivers. Maas runs dry van and reefer full truckload with our own trucks and drivers. CDL-A company drivers earn 50+ CPM dry van / 60+ CPM reefer: https://maaslogistic.com/drive-with-us/company-drivers.

• Source: Kodiak AI / GlobeNewswire — Kodiak AI and DTL Transport agreement for 75 driverless trucks
• Source: TechCrunch — Kodiak lands first commercial deal to supply driverless trucks

For shippers and drivers (Saturday note)

Shippers: with thousands of carriers flipped to inactive this week, verify before you tender and call before you cut. Maas runs dry van and reefer full truckload out of Melissa and DFW across 48 states with our own trucks, never re-brokered, and dispatch answers 24/7: https://maaslogistic.com/quote.

Drivers: company drivers earn 50+ CPM dry van / 60+ CPM reefer — https://maaslogistic.com/drive-with-us/company-drivers. Owner-operators keep 87–90% of gross with non-forced dispatch — https://maaslogistic.com/drive-with-us/owner-operators.

What it means: Need a truck: https://maaslogistic.com/quote. Hiring CDL-A company drivers: https://maaslogistic.com/drive-with-us/company-drivers. Owner-operators: https://maaslogistic.com/drive-with-us/owner-operators. Phone: (916) 770-7323 | Melissa, TX / DFW | USDOT 3179194. Maas Logistics LLC | 1817 Miller Rd #5, Melissa, TX 75454 | dispatch@maaslogistic.com. The Logistics Partner that Delivers.