The work is never done

Before joining Land Line in 2015, I worked at daily newspapers in the Midwest for about 15 years.

The thing you learn quickly working at a daily newspaper is that as soon as you turn in that big story or send the front page to the press crew, another big story and front page is waiting for you the next day.

Obviously, I’m not telling truck drivers anything they don’t already know. You’ve surely all felt the pressure of getting a load delivered on time, only to start the process over with a new load soon after.

The good part of these kinds of jobs is that there’s always a new task or goal directly in front of you. On the other hand, there’s really never any time to relish your victories. You knocked down a 3-pointer, but there’s no time to celebrate. You need to get back on defense, or you’re going to get dunked on.

This lesson also applies to the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association’s efforts toward advocating for small-business truckers. The work is never done. The job is never finished.

As soon as a bill or final rule that is positive for truck drivers is unveiled, OOIDA knows it’s not the time to pop the top on that champagne bottle. Instead, the Association must quickly get back on defense to prevent an increase to the minimum liability insurance – or any number of other efforts that would be harmful to small-business truckers.

Last June, the U.S. Department of Transportation released its Pro-Trucker Package – a list of nine initiatives with the goal of making things better for the nation’s truck drivers.

On its own, the announcement signaled a major change. The DOT made it clear that they were listening to truck drivers and looked toward them as the solution to trucking’s problems rather than the enemy.

In many ways, the Pro-Trucker Package was a major victory for OOIDA (the Association actively lobbied for eight of the nine initiatives) and individual truckers.

But … the work is never done. The job is not finished.

Starting on Page 14, our cover story examines the Pro-Trucker Package a year later. It gives truckers a chance to appreciate the progress, but also the time to evaluate what still needs to be done.

The DOT and FMCSA have taken many positive steps, but many of these initiatives haven’t reached the finish line. We still need a long-term answer to the lack of truck parking. We still need the agency to enforce broker transparency regulations.

That means your job isn’t over either. You need to keep writing your lawmakers and filing comments on FMCSA notices. As OOIDA President Todd Spencer says on Page 36, “Make some noise.” If you don’t already do so, go to FightingForTruckers.com, and let OOIDA help you amplify your voice so that lawmakers and regulators actually hear what you have to say.

Another area where there’s more work to be done is the freight economy. We’ve seen some positive indicators in 2026, but we’re still looking for that final push to put this years-long freight recession behind us. Associate Editor Tyson Fisher breaks down the employment numbers on Page 56.

And while the work is never done, we all certainly need a break from time to time. Staff Writer Ryan Witkowski provides the lighter side of trucking with Slight Detour on Page 72.

As always, thanks for reading, and we hope you enjoy another edition of Land Line. Now, it’s time for us to get busy putting together the July issue. LL