America's Trucking Industry: Worst of The Week
Fake CDLs, Non-domiciled CDLs & cargo theft attempts, and Hank Johnson Jr.'s comments on Delilah's Law.
Spell-check, please.
If you’ve spent any time inside the numerous foreign Telegram groups, you know that fake CDLs are very real. How many of them are out there? No idea, but it’s certainly more than one.
According to a post shared on X this week, a shipper checked a CDL before loading the truck. Looking at it, something felt off, but the shipper didn’t know why. Thankfully, the human intuition was not ignored.
Aside from the silly mistakes on the Class A line, we have a few terrible spelling errors. Clippy could have helped here, but I’m glad he didn’t.
These are the things that can fall through the cracks as we continue to push for faster, more efficient processes. Often, slow is so much faster.
While we’re looking at CDLs, here’s a wild stat from a FreightWaves episode this week:
80% of fictitious pickup attempts involve a non-domiciled CDL.
Go ahead, buy that USDOT.
On Thursday, March 13, 2026, the FMCSA published a notice to the industry, “DO NOT Sell, Purchase, or Lease a USDOT or MC Number.” When I started talking about this last summer and have continued to, I consistently get pushback from commenters. The argument is that this can be done legally by purchasing the entire business.
Yes, I hear you, but that’s not what these people are doing.
They are buying a USDOT or MC number because they can no longer generate revenue from the previous one. Far too often, our rose-colored glasses get in the way of understanding what’s actually happening in this industry. People do illegal things.
To the people buying USDOTs and MCs off Facebook, or Telegram, or Maria’s vibe-coded app [doubtful they read my articles, but they should]. When you legally purchase USDOT authority, you are assuming responsibility for everything that came before you. All the driver records, documentation, violations, unpaid fines for those violations, lawsuits, etc.
When the FMCSA shows up, they won’t just audit who you are today. They audit the company. All the documentation that must be kept for three to five years, they’ll come looking for it. And you have 48 hours to produce those records. Ready, or not, here they come.
As an example, Savar Muradov claims he sold Hope Trans before the horrific wreck last summer, in Terrell, Texas, that left five innocent people dead. Per court documents, because he “sold” the business, he believes he bears no responsibility and wishes for the case against him to be dismissed. I vehemently disagree with this and remain skeptical of the documents submitted to the court.
A summons has been issued for the buyers, Todd August and Steven Grover.
According to Hank Johnson Jr.
According to the same man who once feared the island of Guam might tip over, Hank Johnson Jr. believes the English requirement for truck drivers "has nothing to do with safety and everything to do with shutting out qualified drivers." He refers to Delilah's Law as an "anti-worker bill” and says that this will “raise the barrier to entry.”
Yes, Hank, raising the barrier to entry for operating an 80,000 lb metal missile on American highways IS the point. The ability to comprehend a digital road sign, a direct order from law enforcement, or the cries of a 16-year-old boy asking you to call 911 because his brother is dead is not a bureaucratic nicety. It is the absolute bare minimum we should expect, and a public safety standard that’s been required for commercial truck drivers since 1937.
My goodness, what a week.
Finally, MATS!
It’s almost here! The Mid-America Trucking Show is next week, and I cannot wait to see all of you. If you’re not going, you should. I’m speaking on the ProTalks stage Friday at 5:15 PM (1715).
Also, my article is on page 19 of the event directory. Make sure you grab a copy!
I’m just a civilian driving public roads and I appreciate everything that you’re doing to alert us of this problem. I had to look up what a non-domicile CDL was and after the president’s tightening of the rules, how the heck are we going to find and pull these licenses instead of waiting for a renewal or a random inspection or an accident?