December 2, 2025
Little Rock, Ark. — Arkansas Trucking Association President Shannon Newton today affirmed the organization’s support for a national call to action issued by a broad group of state and national trucking associations, outlining a series of reforms needed to protect highway safety, strengthen workforce integrity, and defend law-abiding carriers from fraudulent competitors.
The action plan, The Fight for Fairness and Safety: Paving the Way for a Trucking Resurgence, was distributed to legislators and regulators at the federal and state levels, including Sean Duffy, Secretary of the Department of Transportation, and Derek Barrs, Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
“The vast majority of trucking companies and professional drivers do the right thing every day,” Newton said. “When bad actors take advantage of gaps in licensing, data systems, enforcement, or technology, the impact reaches everyone. It puts families at risk on the road, damages our industry’s reputation, and undercuts the carriers who follow the rules.”
The Trucking Association Executives Council (TAEC), which developed the action plan through a special task force, is comprised of state trucking association executives and trucking leaders from coast to coast. The initiative addresses seven critical areas where fraudulent and illegal operators undercut law-abiding businesses, endanger public safety, and damage the reputation and morale of America’s professional truck drivers.
“These aren’t theoretical problems. They’re real risks we see on Arkansas highways and across the nation,” Newton said. “Closing these loopholes is essential for safety, but it’s equally important for fairness. Carriers who invest in training, compliance, and integrity should not be undercut by those who cheat the system.”
In a statement, U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) agreed. “As I’ve long said, only qualified commercial drivers should be on our roads. The findings from the Trucking Association Executive Council’s report are clear. That is why I have introduced legislation to ensure that all CDL holders understand English and to give Secretary Duffy the power to revoke a state’s authority to issue non-domiciled CDLs if found noncompliant with federal guidelines.”
The Trucking Resurgence action plan identifies seven major vulnerabilities that bad actors exploit:
- CDL Integrity – Closing loopholes in commercial driver licensing
- MCMIS Overhaul – Fixing America’s broken trucking safety data system
- Cross-Border Integrity – Assuring workforce integrity at our borders
- Non-Domiciled CDL Reform – Strengthening oversight and enforcement
- English Language Proficiency – Closing critical CDL safety gaps
- Combating Trucking Fraud – Addressing broker and carrier fraud schemes
- Electronic Log Integrity – Ending ELD manipulation and hours-of-service fraud
Newton emphasized that the recommended reforms, including connected CDL databases, stronger MCMIS safety data, independent ELD certification, elevated broker standards, and meaningful enforcement of English proficiency, are both achievable and urgently necessary.
“Arkansas is proud to stand with trucking leaders across the country in urging enforcement agencies to prioritize and resource these actions,” Newton said. “A safer, more accountable system benefits everyone, from drivers and law enforcement to shippers and the motoring public.”
U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) added, “Arkansas’s trucking community is full of hardworking men and women who keep our economy moving, and they deserve an operating environment that rewards responsibility and closes high-risk loopholes. I appreciate the leadership the Arkansas Trucking Association provided, along with many others, to enhance this effort and look forward to supporting FMCSA’s work to deliver a safer, more accountable system for everyone on the road.”
For more information, visit arkansastrucking.com or truckingresurgence.com.
