Trucking News Roundup: Class 8 Truck Orders Plunge 36% as EPA Uncertainty Hits Fleets, Dry Van and Reefer Capacity Stay Tight into Peak Season, DOT Says 33,000 Drivers Are Out of Service for English Proficiency, and the House Transportation Committee Heads for an Overhaul with Highway Funding Expiring Dec. 11 (Nov 5, 2026)

Class 8 truck orders plunge 36% as EPA uncertainty rattles fleets

FTR Transportation Intelligence via FreightWaves (Nov 4, 2026): Preliminary North American Class 8 net orders totaled 15,600 units in October — down 36% from a year earlier, down 24% from September, and nearly 50% below the 10-year October average of 31,089. September–October combined orders were 36,002 (−20% year over year). Year-to-date 2026 orders still sit at 278,201, up 74% from 2025, because the earlier pre-buy ahead of expected 2027 EPA emissions rules has already run its course. FTR senior analyst Dan Moyer said fleets may be shifting near-term capital toward trailers instead of tractors, and that strong freight rates are being offset by high fuel, insurance and labor costs that squeeze margins and limit purchases. FTR also said October's weakness may reflect deferred buys rather than canceled ones, if emissions rules, production schedules and equipment pricing get clearer.

What it means: What it means for shippers: Fewer new trucks ordered now can keep capacity tight into 2027 even when freight stays firm. These are industry order stats, not Maas equipment plans. Lock capacity for holiday and early-2027 bids: https://maaslogistic.com/blog/2026-11-04-truckload-rfp-guide-2027-freight-bid-shippers · https://maaslogistic.com/quote. Maas runs asset-based dry van and reefer full truckload with our own trucks, never re-brokered: https://maaslogistic.com/services/full-truckload.

• Source: FreightWaves — Class 8 truck orders plunge 36% as EPA uncertainty rattles fleets

Dry van stays tight near 11% rejections; reefer is even tighter into peak season

FreightWaves / Zach Strickland (Nov 4, 2026): Dry van tender rejection rates have eased a little but still sit around 11%, which Strickland still calls a tight market — and capacity growth has not shown up after more than a year of elevated rejections. Spot rates on the National Truckload Index held firm after a slight pullback from the July 4 peak. Carrier cost pressure is outrunning revenue gains, which reduces the cash that usually pulls new owner-operators into the market. A four-day rate-direction map showed more lanes rising than falling; Los Angeles was the most pressured, with 67% of rates moving higher on larger lanes and spot rates about 15% above contract, with West Coast port-strike risk adding urgency for retail corridors that include Dallas. Savannah loosened — rejections near 6% and spot below contract. The refrigerated market is tighter than dry van: reefer rejection rates topped both the Labor Day and July 4 peaks, with Idaho/Oregon harvest pressure in the Pacific Northwest and a still-tight Midwest; Twin Falls, Idaho posted the strongest reefer rate increases. Intermodal volumes dipped after the largest transcontinental lane was temporarily shut, and international boxes dipped too.

What it means: What it means for shippers: National tender and spot readings are not a quote for your lane. If you need dry van or reefer out of Texas this month, book early: https://maaslogistic.com/services/dry-van-trucking · https://maaslogistic.com/services/refrigerated-trucking · https://maaslogistic.com/lanes/dallas-fort-worth-freight-shipping · https://maaslogistic.com/quote. Peak season checklist: https://maaslogistic.com/blog/2026-11-01-peak-season-freight-shipping-truckload-shipper-guide.

• Source: FreightWaves — Dry van, reefer market signals you can't ignore

DOT: 33,000 drivers out of service for English proficiency as Highway Shield hits Virginia

FreightWaves / USDOT (Nov 4, 2026): As of Nov. 4, the U.S. Department of Transportation reports 33,000 commercial drivers have been placed out of service nationwide for failing English-language proficiency requirements. DOT also said it has revoked 31,000 commercial driver's licenses it described as improperly issued to unvetted foreign drivers and shut down nearly 10,000 commercial driving schools. In Virginia, FMCSA's Virginia Division with Virginia State Police and DMV ran 86 Level I inspections in Stephens City, finding 100 violations, putting 11 vehicles and two drivers out of service (one for English proficiency). Separately, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy detailed Arkansas Operation Highway Shield results from Oct. 27–29 (1,724 inspections; 393 drivers/vehicles out of service; 183 English-proficiency violations; 44 criminal arrests; 74 immigration referrals) — an update on the Arkansas wave we already flagged earlier this week. Background capacity context from yesterday: https://maaslogistic.com/news/2026-11-04-truck-capacity-lmi-diesel-ucr-lawsuit-truck-parking-lalb-deadline.

What it means: What it means for drivers and carriers: Keep CDL, medical card, ELD and English-proficiency paperwork clean before you roll; roadside blitzes are expanding state by state. Hiring with a Satisfactory-rated Texas fleet: https://maaslogistic.com/drive-with-us/company-drivers · https://maaslogistic.com/drive-with-us/owner-operators.

• Source: FreightWaves — 33,000 truckers sidelined over violations as highway blitzes hit Arkansas, Virginia

House transportation panel set for overhaul; highway funding expires Dec. 11

FreightWaves (Nov 4, 2026): After Election Day, Democrats are expected to put Rep. Rick Larsen of Washington in the House Transportation & Infrastructure chair as Rep. Sam Graves of Missouri retires. Trucking is watching Rep. David Rouzer of North Carolina — Highway and Transit subcommittee chair and a trucking ally — whose race was still uncalled at publication; even if he keeps the seat he would lose the subcommittee gavel under the majority flip and could become ranking member. In the Senate, Maria Cantwell is expected to succeed Ted Cruz as Commerce chair. Current highway bill funding expires Dec. 11. Truckload Carriers Association president Jim Mullen expects a clean lame-duck extension into June and the full bill to wait for the new Congress. The May T&I-passed BUILD America 250 Act included about $750 million over five years for truck parking — Mullen expects parking to survive — while autonomous-vehicle study language, lease-purchase disclosure rules and any renewed push for higher insurance minimums could be rewritten. ATA urged finishing bipartisan cargo-theft and freight-fraud work in the lame duck.

What it means: What it means for Texas fleets and shippers: Watch the Dec. 11 clock and any clean extension; parking money and insurance rules can change how capacity and cost show up on the highway. For Texas freight once loads are moving: https://maaslogistic.com/lanes/freight-shipping-texas · https://maaslogistic.com/quote.

• Source: FreightWaves — Transportation committee in House set for overhaul post-election

For shippers and drivers (Thursday note)

Shippers: Class 8 orders cooled, but dry van and reefer capacity are still tight into the holidays. Maas Logistics 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/services/dry-van-trucking · https://maaslogistic.com/services/refrigerated-trucking · https://maaslogistic.com/quote.

Drivers: 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.

What it means: