Latest News Updates From Noël Fletcher

GovernmentBusinessSafetyLogistics

Missouri Suspends Permit Fees for Hay Loads Amid Drought

The new permits were announced Sept. 29 by the Missouri Department of Transportation as most of the state experienced the third-driest August on record since 1895.

October 2, 2025
GovernmentBusinessTechnologyEquipmentLogistics

Why America’s Trade Partners Oppose Trump’s Truck Tariffs

Every one of the countries identified by the U.S. Department of Commerce Foreign Trade Division as a top supplier by export value of trucks to the U.S. warned the agency against the levies.

October 1, 2025
GovernmentTechnologyEquipmentSafety

Maryland Hikes New Speeding Fines Up to $425 Starting Oct. 1

The automated speed citations do not add points to driver’s licenses. However, the faster a person is traveling over the speed limit, the higher the fine.

September 30, 2025
GovernmentBusinessEquipmentSafety

Here’s What DOT’s Emergency CDL Ruling Means for Trucking

“The process for issuing these licenses is absolutely 100% broken," Sean Duffy said. "It has become a threat to public safety and it is a national emergency that requires action right now.”

September 29, 2025
GovernmentBusinessLogistics

Arkansas Farmers, Truckers Boosted by $5.5B Taiwan Crop Pact

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders called Taiwan’s planned purchases “great news for Arkansas and especially our row crop farmers, who need all the assistance they can get right now.”

September 25, 2025
GovernmentBusinessEquipmentSafety

DOT Seeks Industry Input on Cargo Theft Risks

The Department of Transportation is casting a wide net for stakeholder suggestions about how to deter thieves acting on impulse and organized criminals from stealing cargo.

September 24, 2025
GovernmentBusiness

FMCSA Audited Over States’ Enforcement of English Mandates

The move arrives at a moment when the Department of Transportation is scrutinizing English-language proficiency among commercial drivers.

September 23, 2025
GovernmentSafety

FMCSA Data Shows Surge in Roadside Inspections

On a combined federal and state level, year-to-date English-language proficiency violations had reached 3,724 drivers through the end of August. 

September 22, 2025
GovernmentBusinessSafety

Duffy Raises DEI Contract, Cost Concerns for Baltimore Bridge

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is raising concerns about Maryland’s oversight in replacing the Francis Scott Key Bridge and increasing costs for the federally funded project.

September 22, 2025
BusinessFuel

South Dakota Soybean Plant to Boost Biofuel Industry

The $500 million facility is a venture between BP Products North America and South Dakota Soybean Processors.

September 17, 2025