Trucking News Roundup: Cost to Hire a Truck Driver Up 41% as the Driver Pool Shrinks, LA–Long Beach Watchmen Strike Deadline Moves to Nov. 4, Knight-Swift CEO Says Cabotage Enforcement Is Ramping Up, and an Equipment Lessor Tightens Owner-Operator Lease Rules (Nov 2, 2026)

Cost to hire a truck driver is up 41% in a year as the driver pool keeps shrinking

The Trucker and the National Transportation Institute (Oct 29, 2026): A third-quarter recruiting report from Conversion Interactive Agency and People. Data. Analytics. (PDA) found that what carriers spend to hire one driver rose 41% from a year earlier and 29% from January through September 2026. The report blames a smaller pool of qualified drivers and more competition for them. In the companies' 2026 carrier survey, 46% of carriers said they raised driver pay in the past 90 days, and more are planning or weighing raises. On why drivers leave, pay was the top concern at 26.6%, followed by equipment at 24.9% and day-to-day operations at 19.4%; uneven miles, equipment downtime and poor communication keep coming up. "They're comparing those experiences against other opportunities," PDA's Scott Dismuke said of drivers. Separately, NTI says the for-hire driver population fell more than 5% in 2025 and about another 1% in early 2026, pointing to English-proficiency enforcement, non-domiciled CDL rules, an aging workforce, the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse and too few new drivers coming in. NTI also notes drivers judge a job on total earnings, steady miles, home time, benefits and a predictable paycheck, not just the headline rate.

What it means: What it means for drivers: Experienced drivers with clean records have more leverage than they have had in years. Before you switch, compare the whole job, not one number, and ask how miles and dispatch actually work. Our guide: https://maaslogistic.com/blog/2026-10-26-how-to-switch-trucking-companies-cdl-a-driver-guide. Maas 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.

• Source: The Trucker — Driver recruiting data reveals rising hiring costs, turnover risks
• Source: National Transportation Institute — Q4 outlook: driver supply tightens as fleets reevaluate pay and recruiting strategies

LA–Long Beach watchmen strike pushed to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4

Pacific Maritime Association statement, SupplyChainBrain and Reuters (Oct 30, 2026): The Pacific Maritime Association and ILWU Local 26 agreed to extend the watchmen's contract through 5 p.m. Pacific time on Wednesday, Nov. 4, pushing back a strike that could have started Nov. 1. Talks continue with help from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. Local 26 represents about 250 security watchmen at six container terminals, and those terminals handle about 85% of the cargo at the Port of Long Beach and about a third at the Port of Los Angeles. The watchmen's last agreement expired in July 2025. Other ILWU dockworkers and clerks work under separate contracts, but the employers' group has said it expects them to stand with the watchmen if a strike happens. Both ports reported record cargo volumes in September. This is a delay, not a deal.

What it means: What it means for shippers and drivers: Import freight coming off those terminals could back up if a walkout happens after Wednesday afternoon, and that can ripple into inland truckload schedules. If you have West Coast import freight feeding Texas distribution, build in slack this week. For dry van and reefer truckload inside Texas and across 48 states: https://maaslogistic.com/lanes/freight-shipping-texas · https://maaslogistic.com/quote.

• Source: SupplyChainBrain — Port workers, employers push Long Beach strike threat to Nov. 4
• Source: Baird Maritime — Strike averted at Los Angeles and Long Beach ports after deadline extension

Knight-Swift CEO: cabotage enforcement is "really" ramping up, and Nuevo León halves a Colombia Bridge toll

FreightWaves (Nov 1, 2026): Speaking at the WEX OTR Summit in Florida, Knight-Swift CEO Adam Miller said U.S. enforcement of cabotage rules, which bar foreign drivers from hauling domestic loads between two U.S. points, has stepped up sharply. He said he has seen Mexican drivers lose their visas over alleged violations tied to carriers they worked for before, not his company, and he expects cross-border capacity to get "a little bit tighter." Miller still expects Mexico to play a bigger role long term because of nearshoring, but called tariffs "a big unknown." In the same report, the Mexican state of Nuevo León cut its state toll by 50% for commercial trucks heading to the Colombia-Solidarity International Bridge near Laredo. That state fee, collected about 500 meters before the bridge tollbooth, was added in April 2025. The cut does not change tolls charged by the City of Laredo.

What it means: What it means: Tighter cross-border driver supply can squeeze capacity on Texas border lanes. Maas runs domestic dry van and reefer full truckload; we do not haul cross-border. For loads inside Texas and across the U.S.: https://maaslogistic.com/services/dry-van-trucking · https://maaslogistic.com/services/refrigerated-trucking.

• Source: FreightWaves — Borderlands Mexico: Cabotage enforcements threatening cross-border trucking

Equipment lessor Super Ego sets stricter lease rules for owner-operators starting Nov. 1

Overdrive and a company release (Oct 28–Nov 1, 2026): Super Ego, the Elmhurst, Illinois, truck leasing company that drew national scrutiny this spring, says that starting Nov. 1, 2026, new rules apply to every new lease or rental, every renewal and every request for added equipment. Applicants must show a current FMCSA safety rating, and the company says it will not lease to carriers with a Conditional rating. It will review driving records for English-language proficiency violations, and owner-operators with one will not be approved until it is resolved with regulators. Owner-operators with non-domiciled CDLs will not be approved, and neither will new carrier applications from owners who hold a non-domiciled CDL or ID. When Overdrive visited the company's Elmhurst lot last Wednesday it found it largely empty; the company said it still serves more than 1,200 licensed carrier customers.

What it means: What it means for owner-operators: Lessors, carriers and brokers are all checking paperwork harder. Keep your CDL, medical card, inspection history and records clean, and read every line of a lease before you sign. Know your real numbers first: https://maaslogistic.com/blog/2026-10-24-owner-operator-cost-per-mile-texas-break-even. Owner-operators at Maas keep 87–90% of gross with non-forced dispatch: https://maaslogistic.com/drive-with-us/owner-operators. Safety at Maas: https://maaslogistic.com/company/safety.

• Source: Overdrive — Super Ego returns, bans non-domiciled, non-English-speaking drivers
• Source: Business Wire — Super Ego announces enhanced safety standards for lease and rental agreements

For drivers and shippers (Monday note)

Drivers: hiring is costing carriers more and good drivers have choices, so pick a carrier on the whole job. Maas is hiring CDL-A company drivers at 50+ CPM dry van / 60+ CPM reefer — https://maaslogistic.com/drive-with-us/company-drivers — and owner-operators keep 87–90% of gross with non-forced dispatch — https://maaslogistic.com/drive-with-us/owner-operators. Yesterday's roundup covered the Arkansas truck blitz and Covenant's 2027 rate outlook: https://maaslogistic.com/news/2026-11-01-arkansas-truck-blitz-covenant-2027-rates-walmart-cibolo-schneider-ns-hos-pilots.

Shippers: Maas runs asset-based dry van and reefer full truckload out of Melissa and DFW across 48 states, never re-brokered, with 24/7 dispatch: https://maaslogistic.com/quote.

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.