ATA’s Women In Motion Brings Trucking’s Priorities to Capitol Hill

On the frontlines of advocating for the trucking industry, ATA’s Women In Motion made a significant appearance on Capitol Hill. This program aims to elevate the role of women in trucking while pushing for industry priorities. The group discussed issues such as infrastructure improvements, safety regulations, and ensuring better treatment and recognition for female truck drivers. Their priorities also include workforce development and access to resources necessary for women entering this field.

For small carriers, initiatives like these could mean a gradual shift toward more inclusive policies and increased awareness about gender diversity within trucking jobs. If you're an owner or a fleet manager, now might be a good time to assess your workplace inclusivity policies and consider how fostering a diverse workforce can improve your operations. You can also explore programs that support women in logistics and driving roles.

"Promoting gender diversity is not solely about equality; it’s about harnessing the full potential of our workforce. Women In Motion is setting the pace for others to follow," said a representative from ATA.

Mayor Mamdani Expands Next Mile NYC Program

In New York City, Mayor Mamdani is expanding the Next Mile NYC program, which connects people on probation with careers in the trucking industry. This initiative doesn't just aim to fill open positions; it provides pathways for stable employment for those looking for a second chance. With the trucking industry experiencing a demand surge, this program is timely and offers a real solution to workforce shortages.

For carriers and operators, tapping into programs like Next Mile NYC can provide access to eager job seekers who might otherwise be overlooked. Engaging with local workforce development projects could give you a competitive edge, expanding your hiring pool and contributing to community welfare. This is an opportune moment to reach out to similar initiatives or explore how you can partner with community programs in your area.

Trucking Rates Surge 35%: Industry Recovery Explained

Recent industry reports indicate that trucking rates have surged by 35%. This is considered part of a broader recovery trend following economic challenges in previous years. The rise in rates is driven by increased demand, a resurgence in freight volumes, and pressures from supply chain constraints. While higher rates could mean greater revenue potential for freight companies, it also calls for strategic planning.

Small to mid-sized carriers must navigate these changes carefully. While increased demand offers opportunities for more profitable hauls, cost management and efficiency remain critical. It’s a perfect time to leverage technology for route optimization and fleet management. Check out VAU0's Transport Management System to streamline operations efficiently.

FMCSA’s 2026 Regulatory Agenda: Top Trucking Rules to Watch

The FMCSA's 2026 regulatory agenda outlines several changes that could impact your operations. Among the proposals are updates to hours-of-service rules, electronic logging devices, and standards for autonomous vehicle usage. These regulations are poised to further safeguard driver welfare and enhance road safety, impacting how day-to-day operations are managed.

For small carriers, staying updated with regulatory changes is crucial to maintaining compliance and avoiding costly penalties. Regularly reviewing compliance documentation and training programs can help ensure that your fleet operates within the legal framework. Consider looking at VAU0's compliance resources to help keep your fleet up to date with necessary changes.

FMCSA Plans Expanded Access to Driver Violation Records

The FMCSA is planning to expand access to driver violation records for employers. This initiative aims to increase transparency and help carriers make more informed hiring decisions by offering broader insights into driver histories. Such measures are especially beneficial for small carriers that lack extensive resources for background checks.

By providing detailed records, carriers can better assess potential hires’ safety risks, potentially reducing liability and enhancing overall fleet safety. Carriers should prepare to incorporate these insights into their recruitment and monitoring processes, ensuring that newly acquired data informs their hiring strategies and ongoing driver assessments.

What Carriers Should Do This Week:

• Review and update your workforce diversity policies; consider ways to integrate new talent pipelines like those from ATA and Next Mile NYC.
• Leverage logistic software tools, such as VAU0’s TMS, for improved efficiency amid rising trucking rates.
• Stay informed and ready to adapt to the FMCSA's regulatory changes—frequent training sessions for drivers might be necessary.
• Prepare for FMCSA’s expanded access to driver records by enhancing your recruiting processes and safety monitoring systems.
• Engage with local government or community job programs to bolster workforce diversity and tap into motivated job seekers.

In 2022, we were running a small fleet and spending approximately $400 per truck per month on software. TMS license, ELD subscription, e-sign service, separate accounting integration. Four different logins. Four different monthly invoices. Four different support teams to call when something didn't work.

None of it talked to each other without manual data entry.

The software evaluation that changed everything

We spent three months evaluating every major TMS and fleet management system on the market. AscendTMS, McLeod, Motive, EZLogz, KeepTruckin, TruckingOffice, Axon. We signed up for demos, trials, and in two cases, paid for actual subscriptions to test them properly.

What we found was consistent across almost all of them: the software was built by people who had never dispatched a truck. You could tell immediately. The terminology was slightly wrong. The workflows assumed steps that no real dispatcher would take. The ELD and TMS were always separate systems that "integrated" — meaning they sometimes shared data, if you configured things correctly, and the configuration broke whenever either vendor pushed an update.

"The best way to evaluate trucking software is to use it under real pressure. Not in a demo. Not in a test environment. On a real load, with a real deadline, when a broker is calling every 30 minutes for an update."

The specific things that were broken

Without naming specific vendors: one major TMS required five screen transitions to update a load status. Not five clicks — five full page navigations. On a mobile browser from a truck stop, that meant 45 seconds to tell a broker the truck was loaded. Another system had beautiful analytics dashboards but couldn't tell you, in real time, how many hours of drive time your driver had remaining without navigating to a separate compliance module.

The ELD market was worse. Most ELD systems were designed to satisfy FMCSA's technical requirements — which they did — while making the user experience as painful as possible. Drivers hated them. When drivers hate their tools, they find workarounds. Workarounds create compliance risk.

The moment we decided to build

The decision was made on a Tuesday afternoon when our dispatcher spent 40 minutes re-entering data from a rate confirmation PDF that our ELD had already captured in a different system. The information existed. It was digital. It lived in three different places that didn't talk to each other, and a human was manually transferring it between systems.

That's not a technology problem. That's a lack of ambition problem. Nobody had decided to solve it because the existing systems were profitable enough without solving it.

What we decided to build instead

One platform. ELD and TMS as the same system, not integrations. AI that reads rate confirmation PDFs so dispatchers don't have to. A dispatcher — eventually an AI dispatcher — that covers nights and weekends so loads don't get missed. E-sign built in, not bolted on.

And priced at zero through 2026, because the goal was to prove the product worked before asking carriers to pay for it.

Two years in: did it work?

The Rate Con AI has a 95%+ accuracy rate on standard broker formats. ERETH ELD passed FMCSA's technical certification. Our AI dispatchers book real loads for real carriers after hours. The carrier dashboard still occasionally has a minor bug — we fix them the same day they're reported.

Would we have been better off just using an existing system and focusing on freight? Financially, in the short term, probably yes. But we would have kept paying $400 per truck per month for software that we knew was mediocre. And we would have missed the opportunity to build something that actually works the way the industry needs it to work.

We don't regret it.