Industry Watch: November 2026

A roundup of trucking and moving industry signals from November 2026. Each item links to Trunk's deeper analysis where available.

Democrats will take control of both the House and Senate in January 2027, placing highway policy and FMCSA oversight under new committee leadership. Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA) is expected to chair the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) is in line to lead the Senate Commerce Committee, which holds jurisdiction over FMCSA.

The multi-year highway reauthorization bill becomes the primary legislative vehicle. The outgoing Republican-led BUILD America 250 Act, which passed committee 62-2 in May but stalled without a floor vote, included truck parking grants, lease-purchase fraud protections, ELD certification tightening, and freight broker fraud protections. It will be redrafted by incoming Democratic chairs in 2027.

Three areas are directly relevant to HHG consumers:

1. Insurance minimums. The federal minimum BIPD requirement for motor carriers has been $750,000 for four decades. Democrats previously passed a measure to raise it to $2 million in 2020. A current proposal (Reps. Garcia and Tran) would raise it to $5 million with inflation indexing. Central Analysis Bureau VP Chad Krueger: 'I would think it pretty likely that they would make a run at it again.' FTR VP Avery Vise: 'Definitely expect a push to increase insurance minimums.' For HHG consumers, higher insurance minimums would increase the bond backing consumer claims against carriers.

2. Chameleon carrier legislation. The SAFE Act and REVOKE Act, both bipartisan, are pending from the current Congress. FTR's Vise noted that fighting chameleon carriers is 'basically bipartisan anyway.' The bills could carry over or be incorporated into the new highway bill. The SAFE Act's automated detection tools and the REVOKE Act's registration enforcement address the exact failures documented in FMCSA's zero new entrant HHG audits over five years.

3. FMCSA oversight hearings. Under the outgoing Republican majority, FMCSA leadership faced 'virtually no formal congressional grillings since initial confirmation hearings,' according to transportation attorney Spencer Wiseman. Under Democratic control, regulators are expected to be called to Capitol Hill to defend enforcement priorities. This could be the first time FMCSA is publicly questioned about zero HHG carrier enforcement cases, zero new entrant audits, and the 30-year gap in 14704(c) complaint procedures.

Notably, Vise said the regulatory agenda itself is unlikely to change much, since 'initiatives like fighting chameleon carriers, cracking down on ELD editing and ensuring knowledge of the regulations are basically bipartisan.' The threat to HHG reform is not partisan opposition. It is continued neglect.

Source: Jason Cannon, Commercial Carrier Journal (November 4, 2026, updated November 5, 2026). Analysis by Chad Krueger (CAB), Avery Vise (FTR), Spencer Wiseman.