And The Winners Are...Michigan Truck Driving Championship

Mileage Matters | June 9, 2026

And the winners are...Michigan Truck Driving Championship

MTA held the Michigan Truck Driving Championship this past weekend in Lansing. History was made at this year's event. For only the second time, the TDC has a three-time Grand Champion -- Chad Williams of Old Dominion Freight Line. Chad won his division, twin trailers, and the pre-trip inspection on his way to recording the overall highest score among 103 drivers.

And an important first. Step Van Division Champion Lisa Hamilton of Tailwinds II, Inc.-FedEx Express is the first female driver to win a TDC division. Lisa drove to history over 15 other drivers -- and she was a rookie! Winners in each division advance to the ATA National Trucking Driving Championship held in Pittsburgh, PA, August 11-14.

Find out who won

Thank You TDC Sponsors

Gold Sponsor

TDC Hats Sponsor

Driver Snack Box Sponsor

Federal & State Regulations

House says 'no' to blanket pulsating brake light provision

Commercial Carriers Journal- A House panel has rejected a push to protect commercial vehicle fleets using specialized safety lighting, diving into a procedural fight over whether Congress or safety regulators should dictate vehicle highway standards.

Government

Lawmakers again eye FET repeal

Commercial Carriers Journal- A bipartisan duo of U.S. senators has re-introduced the Modern, Clean, and Safe Trucks Act, legislation that would repeal a century-old tax on heavy trucks and trailers, arguing that the tax creates financial barriers preventing trucking fleets from adopting cleaner, safer and more fuel-efficient vehicles.

FMCSA safety ratings fall off a cliff

Overdrive- David Owen, president of the National Association of Small Trucking Companies, recently wrote the House and Senate transportation committees urging action on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's safety rating system. According to Owen, "Out of our more than 10,000 member companies, I dare say at least 40% have never been rated." In typical years, roughly 4,000 investigations resulted in finalized safety ratings of Satisfactory, Conditional or Unsatisfactory, until those numbers fell off in 2025 under the Trump administration.

In the Mail!

Q22026 Strait Ahead

Leading from the Front
I Am Woman, In Numbers Too Big to Ignore
This is Where Drivers Practice That Move
Transportation, Accountability & Opportunity: The National Blueprint

For Strait Ahead advertising opportunities, contact

Matthews Publishing at jennifer@matthewspublisihing or

501-690-9393

Operations

CVSA's Brake Safety Week scheduled for

Aug. 23-29

CVSA.org-The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance has announced Aug. 23-29 as this year’s Brake Safety Week, a seven-day focused inspection and enforcement initiative designed to improve safety by ensuring commercial motor vehicles are operating with properly maintained and functioning braking systems.

FMCSA responds 2X to ongoing problems with Motus rollout

Freight Waves- A growing clamor over the rollout of the Motus registration system by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has led to two statements issued by the agency, with notable differences in tone. Complaints and comments in social media have quickly made it clear the rollout has not been going well. And in the past week, the agency responded with its two statements.

Business

FedEx completes spin-off of its trucking arm

Commercial Carrier Journal- Happy birthday, FedEx Freight; at least that's what it felt like as FedEx Corp. completed the spin-off of its freight business and officially launched FedEx Freight Holding Company Inc. as an independent, publicly traded entity focused entirely on the North American less-than-truckload market.

MBH Trucking receives 2025 NTTC Safety Award

The National Tank Truck Carriers is proud to announce the winners of its 2025 Personnel Safety Contest.

MTA member MBH Trucking, Webberville, Michigan, received an Honor Award as a for-hire carrier. The contest highlights a strong safety culture, protecting employees in shop, terminal, maintenance and office environments. This contest honors carriers achieving outstanding personnel safety performance based on fewer lost time injuries per hour worked within each mileage classification.

NTTC will honor the 2025 Personnel Safety Contest winners during Tank Truck Week 2026 in Oklahoma City on September 30. Congratulations!

Watch video