“As freight fraud continues to rise across the industry, education and verification are critical,” said Joe Ohr, CEO, NMFTA. “The Hub reflects the industry’s commitment to protecting the integrity of carrier identification and supporting the entire supply chain with clear, actionable resources.”

The Real Cost of Freight Fraud

Freight fraud is a costly and growing problem. According to the American Transportation Research Institute, the industry loses approximately $6.6 billion annually due to fraudulent activities.

“Freight fraud continues to evolve in sophistication, impacting supply chain efficiency, safety, and trust,” NMFTA explained. “The Freight Fraud Prevention Hub serves as a centralized destination for educational content, practical tools, and timely insights focused on carrier identity, impersonation risks, and fraud-prevention best practices.”

How the Hub Supports Carriers

The hub complements NMFTA’s SCAC Verified campaign, which enhances carrier identity verification. While SCAC Verified helps confirm carrier legitimacy, the Hub offers education and resources to detect and prevent fraud throughout the supply chain.

Current features include:

• Freight Fraud Prevention Best Practices – actionable strategies to reduce risk for fleets and shippers.
• Fraud Basics – educational material on how fraud occurs and its impact on the transportation system.
• Expert Webinars and Insights – guidance from industry leaders on emerging fraud trends and prevention techniques.
• Ongoing Updates – partner contributions and real-world examples to help companies stay ahead of new threats.

Collaboration Is Key

“Freight fraud cannot be solved in silos,” NMFTA emphasized. “Preventing it requires a shared industry response. Industry organizations are invited to join the Freight Fraud Prevention Hub Partner Program and collaborate with peers to share expertise, insights, and strategies to combat freight fraud.”

The hub is now live and accessible to all logistics professionals seeking to protect their operations and their drivers from fraud schemes.

Explore the Freight Fraud Prevention Hub here.

Source: The Trucker

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That’s where the National Consumer Complaint Database (NCCDB) comes into play. Recently modernized by the U.S. Department of Transportation, this online platform is designed to give drivers a stronger voice and a simpler way to report unsafe or non-compliant practices to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

A Tech Upgrade for the Industry

With the latest updates, truck drivers can now file complaints against a wide range of entities, including moving companies, motor carriers, bus companies, electronic logging device (ELD) providers, substance abuse professionals, and property brokers.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called the upgrade a significant step forward.

“This overdue tech upgrade is a win for drivers, carriers, and the driving public. The modernized database will make it easier to file complaints, access digital tools, and empower individuals to speak up about unsafe practices. With your support, we will continue to take bad actors off the roads to keep the American people safe.”

The changes are part of DOT’s broader Pro-Trucker Package, a collection of nine initiatives unveiled earlier this year aimed at making life on the road safer and fairer for drivers.

Holding Brokers Accountable

One of the most notable improvements is expanded support for reporting brokers. The FMCSA clarified on its website that drivers can now submit complaints if a property broker fails to comply with transparency requirements, such as maintaining transaction records or keeping up with insurance and FMCSA registration.

“Is your complaint about a property broker? This could include a property broker failing to maintain transaction records or financial accounts with the required information, failing to maintain FMCSA registration or insurance, misrepresenting services, or conducting improper rebating or compensation practices,” FMCSA wrote.

Under Regulation 371.3, brokers are required to keep detailed records of each transaction, and carriers are legally entitled to review them. But many drivers say the system is broken, with brokers often requiring them to waive those rights.

Back in 2020, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) urged FMCSA to strengthen transparency rules. The agency proposed new regulations in 2024, but a revised version isn’t expected until May 2026. In the meantime, the updated NCCDB gives drivers a much-needed channel to flag problems.

A Long-Awaited Overhaul

OOIDA has been vocal about the shortcomings of the old NCCDB, noting that drivers often found the platform clunky and unresponsive. In July, the association urged FMCSA not only to improve functionality but also to consider renaming it to something more practical and recognizable.

“Many drivers are also unaware that the NCCDB is available for them to report violations of commercial regulations, nor are they aware that other complaints can be handled through the NCCDB,” OOIDA wrote. “We believe ongoing NCCDB changes can be supplemented simply by changing the name of the system. Possible suggestions for a more logical name would be the ‘National Truck Safety Hotline’ or the ‘Truck Safety and Compliance Hotline.’ A new, more practical name would help raise the platform’s awareness among professional truckers and improve its utilization.”

DOT confirmed that a rebrand is part of its plan, along with additional functionality and performance enhancements expected in the next phase of updates.

A Safer Future for Drivers

By modernizing the NCCDB, federal regulators are sending a clear signal that truck drivers’ voices matter. The platform’s redesign and the promised improvements still to come give professional drivers a direct way to hold companies and brokers accountable, while strengthening safety across the industry.

Source: Land Line Media

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Here’s what you need to know to stay ahead of these upcoming changes and how they might impact your operations.

What’s Changing in the Safety Measurement System?

After years of evaluation, FMCSA is set to overhaul several key aspects of the SMS. Starting from 2023, the agency sought input from various stakeholders, including carriers, drivers, and law enforcement, to revamp its methodology. Now, these changes are on the horizon, and while the specifics won’t be implemented immediately, preparation is essential.

Goodbye to BASICs, Hello to Compliance Categories

The first notable change involves retiring the current seven Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs). Instead, they’ll be replaced by six streamlined “Compliance Categories.” One significant adjustment involves folding Controlled Substances and Alcohol violations into the Unsafe Driving category, alongside all Out-of-Service (OOS) violations.

Vehicle Maintenance Gets a Driver-Specific Update

The Vehicle Maintenance category will also see specific changes. Violations that drivers should catch during pre-trip inspections will now be labeled as “Vehicle Maintenance: Driver Observed.” This list currently includes 858 potential inspection items, although the number may change before implementation. Download the list here.

FMCSA Compliance Division representative Wesley Russell explained, “Dividing those (violations) out does a better job increasing our understanding of what violations are occurring, and gives us a head start already on determining where to go look to determine if maybe there’s smaller things on quick checks that are not being found, or maybe it’s something bigger in the overall maintenance program.”

For drivers, the classification of a maintenance violation as “Driver Observed” can have direct implications. Such violations are likely to appear in the Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP), making it more challenging for drivers who neglect pre-trip inspections to secure employment.

Changes to Violation Severity Points

Another significant adjustment involves the scoring system for violations. Under the current system, violations are weighted on a scale of 1–10. The new process simplifies this to just two levels:

• Out-of-Service (OOS) violations and driver disqualification incidents will receive a “2.”

• All other violations will receive a “1.”

Additionally, similar violations will be grouped into approximately 100 categories. For example, hours-of-service violations, such as 14-hour, 11-hour, rest break, and 70-hour rule violations, will fall under the same category. This means that only one point will be applied per inspection, even if multiple related violations are identified.

According to Russell, this change helps identify problem areas without penalizing carriers for multiple similar violations during one inspection.

When Will These Changes Take Effect?

FMCSA has not set a definitive date for the new system to go live. Several milestones, such as updating the CSA website and finalizing the methodology, still need to be addressed. For now, carriers and drivers will continue to use the existing system, and all current data in SMS will be transitioned to the new format once the changes are implemented.

Stakeholders can continue to monitor updates, including a prioritization preview, on the FMCSA’s official site here.

Staying Prepared for What’s Ahead

While initial plans included webinars in February and March 2025, these were canceled following January’s session. However, stakeholders can still access valuable resources and submit questions about the changes.

Source: The Trucker

Image Source: fleetequipmentmag

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The initial declaration was first implemented in February, following bird flu outbreaks in California, Iowa, and Louisiana during December 2024 and January 2025. The FMCSA emphasized that the widespread loss of chicken flocks has disrupted local populations and has had a broader impact on the nation’s food supply, particularly affecting egg availability.

Regulatory Requirements for Drivers and Motor Carriers

Under the FMCSA’s extension, drivers and motor carriers supporting emergency operations must abide by a set of specific requirements to ensure safety and proper compliance, including the following rules:

• Delivery Confirmation: Drivers must secure a valid agreement with the receiving facility confirming acceptance of the live chickens before dispatching shipments.

• Driving Hours Limitations:

• • Drivers may not exceed 16 driving hours within any 24-hour period.

• • All driving must cease at 12 a.m. (midnight) daily.

• • Drivers are required to take a six-hour rest period in a sleeper berth before resuming driving.

• Record Maintenance:

• • Drivers must maintain paper-based records of duty status (RODS) and supporting documents for six months. These records must be readily accessible for review by FMCSA officials or law enforcement.

• Valid Driver’s License:

• • Drivers must hold a commercial driver’s license (CDL) and cannot be under an out-of-service order or have lost driving privileges.

The FMCSA outlined that emergency assistance protocols will expire once a driver or motor carrier transitions to transporting goods or providing services unrelated to the bird flu relief efforts.

For those transitioning from emergency relief to regular operations, drivers must take a mandatory 10-hour rest period if their combined time working on emergency and normal operations reaches or exceeds 14 hours in a day.

A Multi-Front Approach to Combat Bird Flu

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has described a “five-pronged” strategy aimed at tackling bird flu. This plan emphasizes enhanced biosecurity measures, farmer assistance, and ensuring food prices remain affordable amidst the crisis.

According to CBS News, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has already committed over $1 billion since 2020 to support egg producers impacted by the bird flu. Additionally, the USDA plans to allocate another $1 billion to mitigate the effects of the ongoing outbreaks.

Source: Land Line

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