Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026:
- Alleged fuel thieves busted ripping off diesel from parked trucks.
- HOS relief extended for railroad companies for line disruption events.
- Trucks hauled more freight in September after two months of declines.
Suspected diesel thieves busted in SoCal
Police in California have apprehended four individuals for allegedly stealing diesel fuel from parked tractor-trailers.
On Sept. 18, 2026, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office (VCSO) deputies responded to Tri County Transportation, a commercial truck and trailer storage yard in the unincorporated area of Oxnard, for a reported diesel fuel theft. The victim reported approximately 70 gallons had been siphoned from his truck.
VCSO detectives canvassed the area and reviewed surveillance footage, which showed a vehicle scouting the location and inspecting parked trucks. Minutes later, a large white Ford Econoline-style van arrived, and suspects exited and siphoned fuel from a truck.
Although investigators initially could not identify the vehicles, the VCSO’s Flock Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) system helped identify both and connect them to additional thefts throughout Ventura County.
Working with the Sheriff’s Office Crime Analysis Unit, detectives identified four thefts in Camarillo and Thousand Oaks dating back to August. The cases followed a similar pattern: a vehicle acted as a lookout while a van equipped with fuel-siphoning equipment targeted parked commercial trucks. Approximately 315 gallons of diesel fuel were reported stolen in the four additional incidents, including one theft in which a suspect broke a locking fuel cap.
Based on the average diesel cost in Ventura County, this is a combined loss of approximately $3,330, VCSO said.
Investigators identified suspects in the lookout vehicle as Alfonso Vargas, 52, and Alfonso Vargas Jr., 33. Gilbert Flores, 37, and Miguel Cruz, 38, were identified as the suspects operating the van and siphoning the fuel.
All four suspects are from the Los Angeles area and have extensive criminal history.
[Related: California cargo theft horror stories]
On Oct. 13, VCSO detectives and the West County Special Enforcement Unit received information that the suspects were again scouting locations in Ventura County, specifically Thousand Oaks. Detectives conducted surveillance and observed the driver of a GMC Sierra acting as a lookout while suspects in the Ford van siphoned diesel fuel from a Freightliner truck parked in a local business parking lot.
After the theft, detectives followed both vehicles and coordinated simultaneous traffic stops at separate locations and the four suspects were detained.
The owner of the Freightliner was contacted and confirmed the theft of diesel detectives witnessed.
All four suspects were arrested and booked into the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility for Conspiracy to Commit a Crime and Theft, with additional charges pending.
VCSO said the “suspects traveled from the Los Angeles area into Ventura County to target commercial trucks and steal diesel fuel from the drivers who depend on those vehicles to earn a living. Truck drivers work long hours transporting the goods our communities rely on, and fuel theft creates additional financial losses, operational disruptions, and costs for those trying to make an honest living.”
[Related: Florida busts $400K ECM theft ring across state]
Railroad companies get more HOS relief
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration this week announced it is renewing and modifying an exemption granted to the Association of American Railroads and the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association and member railroads from certain hours-of-service regulations.
The exemption allows covered drivers to respond to unplanned events that occur outside of, or extend beyond, their normal work hours, FMCSA said. It exempts association member companies from the 14-hour rule and the 60-/70-hour rule under specific circumstances. It is effective through Oct. 18, 2030.
FMCSA did modify an existing exemption to limit the categories of unplanned events during which the exemption can be used and to add reporting requirements. Additionally, only drivers operating for motor carriers listed in the Appendix to the exemption can operate with it.
[Related: Court shoots down operator’s driverless warning-device lawsuit as FMCSA grants five-year exemption]
FMCSA first granted an exemption to the associations in December 2020, expiring December 2025. On Dec. 19, 2025, the agency provisionally renewed the exemption for six months, then for four months on June 24, 2026.
FMCSA said it analyzed the exemption renewal application and “believes there is a public interest in ensuring that railroads clear blocked tracks and rights-of-way and restore service as quickly as possible.”
As part of the renewal process, the agency requested USDOT numbers for all of the member carriers that would be operating under the exemption. Of the 257 motor carriers on the list, 26 had inactive USDOT numbers. As such, FMCSA included a list of 231 carriers that can operate under the exemption.
The exemption enables the associations’ members to reach the site of the unplanned emergency events within a limited distance from their drivers’ normal work-reporting location and provides flexibility for the associations to address urgent situations that disrupt rail services. Once the crews arrive at the scene, they must record all time working as on-duty, not driving time. When normal rail operations have been restored, drivers would be required to comply with the HOS requirements during the return trip.
Under terms of the modified exemption, eligible “unplanned events” are limited to events affecting the main track, which FMCSA said aligns more closely with the emergency provisions applicable to train employees under the Federal Railroad Administration’s hours-of-service requirements.
[Related: ‘Driver shortage’ narrative returns as ‘driverless’ rollout accelerates]
Truck tonnage improved to close out third quarter
Trucking activity in the United States increased 0.8% in September after falling in the previous two months, according to the American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index.
In September, the ATA advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index equaled 114, up from 113.1 in August.
The index, which is based on 2015 as 100, was unchanged from the same month in 2025, which was better than August’s 1.3% decline.ATA
Year-to-date, compared with the same period in 2025, tonnage is up 0.9% due to robust year-over-year increases from February through April.
“Truck tonnage ended the quarter on a better note, but weakness in July and August pushed the third quarter reading into negative territory both sequentially and from a year earlier,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “We are seeing soft tonnage levels, but capacity is still contracting, which is leading to a better market for motor carriers.”
The not seasonally adjusted index, which calculates raw changes in tonnage hauled, equaled 114.8 in September, 1.4% below August’s reading of 116.4.
[Related: Diesel rising again: New tools for MPG-investment ROI, IFTA reporting, tracking]
