For fleets, the new administration turned much of 2025 into a year of things that didn't happen: California's clean truck mandates no longer had authority; freight demand lost its chance for recovery; the 2027 prebuy disappeared.
Even so, the year brought major regulatory changes: a massive change in trade policy, the first of many defeated emissions regulations, and a truck driver crackdown.
Here are FleetOwner's top stories on government from this year.
10. Indiana authorizes interstate highway tolling
In May, Indiana became the first state to authorize tolling for all its interstate routes.
The state passed a bill that broadly enables it to implement interstate tolls pending FHWA approval. Indiana's routes include well-traveled freight lanes such as Interstates 64, 65, 69, 70, 71, 80, and 90.
Heavier tolling is a tactic that many states are considering to replace financial support from the Highway Trust Fund. Read more...
9. Cabotage crackdown: How stricter B-1 visa enforcement could rebalance trucking
Many people in the trucking industry were hopeful about the new administration's several truck driver crackdowns.
For the B-1 visa enforcement crackdown, executives of Schneider National and J.B. Hunt Transport Services said June 10 that stricter enforcement of cabotage regulations can be one of the last steps the trucking market needs to find a supply-demand equilibrium.
“There’s a lot of noise […] starting to spark about cabotage, and I think that’s really coming on,” J.B. Hunt COO Nick Hobbs told a conference. “I think that’s a really big play on where cheap rates are coming from.”
Hobbs also said he has “a little bit of optimism” that supply and demand were nearing a balancing point. Read more...
8. EPA to eliminate all greenhouse gas regulations
In July, the EPA proposed to rescind the 2009 endangerment finding, which would eliminate greenhouse gas standards for vehicles.
If EPA successfully revokes the endangerment finding, it could drastically alter the market for fleet vehicles and components.
But revoking the endangerment finding will not be easy. EPA still faces a long rulemaking process and many likely challenges in court. Read more...
7. How federal agencies will regulate trucking this year
Way back in January, FleetOwner Editor Jeremy Wolfe shared some regulatory speculation from industry experts at Scopelitis Law Firm and the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) as to how the new administration will manage commercial carriers.
The article includes predictions for slower agency rulemakings, broker transparency, independent contractor classification, and others. Did they hold up? Read more...
6. Why Trump’s tariffs spell bad news for trucking’s recovery
In early February, the topsy-turvy tariff environment started to creep in. U.S. President Donald Trump announced a flood of tariffs against Canada, Mexico, and China, effective February 4
Those tariff threats would later be delayed (a recurring theme for 2025's tariff announcements). A 10% tariff on Chinese imports took effect on February 4 as promised, but the Canada/Mexico tariffs only took effect on March 3. Read more...
5. FMCSA cracks down on foreign truck drivers, suspends California CDL practices
FMCSA introduced several crackdowns on truck driver standards this year. In September, the agency tightened requirements around non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) and cracked down on California’s licensing practices.
Today, the administration continues to audit states' non-domiciled CDL programs and threatens to revoke funding for states that fail the reviews. California is in a lawsuit against DOT for revoking its funding during these licensing disputes. Read more...
4. Senate confirms FMCSA’s next administrator
FMCSA's new administrator was confirmed by the Senate in October.
Dereck Barrs entered the position with a background that includes longtime roles in highway law enforcement and trucking safety advisory boards.
The Senate, while scurrying to end the government shutdown, confirmed Barrs as part of a rapid resolution that confirmed 108 total appointments. The confirmation was significant in part for its rarity: Of the 10 different administrators since October 2019, only one other administrator (Robin Hutcheson) was confirmed. Read more...
3. Trump levies 25% tariff on heavy-duty truck imports
President Donald Trump announced another significant wave of tariffs in September, including a 25% duty on all heavy-duty trucks made outside the U.S. The truck tariffs would eventually be delayed until November.
The announcement also included additional tariffs on household goods, furniture, and pharmaceuticals that threatened to further weaken freight demand. Read more...
2. Trump's sweeping 'Liberation Day' tariffs
Possibly the biggest single shock to freight demand this year was Trump's Liberation Day tariff announcement in early April.
Trump signed an executive order implementing sweeping tariffs on nearly all imports. It ordered a baseline duty tax of 10% on all imports, with some exemptions, beginning April 5.
According to the announcement, on April 9, Trump was supposed to impose varying "reciprocal tariff" duties on imports from 57 specific countries as much as 49%. This was later postponed several times until it finally took effect on August 7. Read more...
1. Trump revokes CARB’s waivers, but it’s not the last word
California's commercial vehicle emissions rules have dominated industry conversations for years. In June this year, CARB's authority was cut down significantly.
Trump signed three resolutions to terminate CARB’s waivers for Advanced Clean Trucks, Advanced Clean Cars II, and Heavy-Duty NOx. Trucking industry leaders celebrated the news as a win, though the revocation still faces legal challenges today.
Along with these articles, FleetOwner publishes several popular annual features that garner attention throughout the trucking and transportation industries. These include our annual looks at the largest commercial transportation systems in the U.S., the FleetOwner 500: For-Hire and FleetOwner 500: Private Fleets.
Our annual profiles of women in the industry, Women in Transportation 2025, were published this summer. Each year, FleetOwner recognizes the transportation operations of private fleets with the FleetOwner Private Fleet of the Year award. This fall, we expanded and rebranded our annual New Models into the 2025 FleetOwner vehicle guide, our largest-ever look at the next generation of heavy-duty, medium-duty, light-duty, and alternative-powered trucks and vans.
We put a bow on the year with the 2025 Trucking By the Numbers feature, an info-graphical look at the facts and figures that make up the trucking and transportation industries.
To view what's ahead for FleetOwner in the new year, please check out our 2026 Media Kit.
About the Author
Jeremy Wolfe
Editor
Editor Jeremy Wolfe joined the FleetOwner team in February 2024. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with majors in English and Philosophy. He previously served as Editor for Endeavor Business Media's Water Group publications.