Report: CDL Change Could Raise Transport Rates

A new report claims that a host of upcoming CDL downgrades may raise truckload rates and make the roads safer. 

The Oct. 30 assessment from ACT Research was prompted by the looming Nov. 18 deadline for state driver’s licensing agencies to pull CDLs from drivers deemed unsafe by federal authorities. More specifically, those with a “prohibited” status in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse will lose their CDL. 

“Lower equipment supply, particularly by private fleets, may play a key role in a market turn in 2025, in our view,” stated Tim Denoyer, ACT Research vice president and senior analyst. “And next month, an FMCSA regulation could potentially downgrade tens of thousands of CDL holders in states who have not heretofore been required to enforce the FMCSA’s Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse.” 

Denoyer did note that the changes are hard to quantify, but he expects the positive impacts of safer roads and higher rates. However, he also said that “the equipment capacity rebalancing needed to drive rates higher in 2025 is not here yet.”