Rob Carpenter
VP of Compliance at Trucksafe
Rob is an experienced regulatory compliance, DOT, safety, security, OSHA, Fire and Life Compliance Executive with decades of experience in safety management within the motor carrier industry. Rob has been a commercial driver, a safety director at a large passenger carrier, and has even owned his own trucking & brokerage companies.
5 Articles
The Open Door Policy That Broke American Trucking
Indiana’s revocation of nearly 2,000 non-domiciled CDLs has sparked national attention, but focusing only on immigration misses the deeper issue. This article argues that the real problem is a decades-long erosion of entry standards across the trucking industry, driven by deregulation, self-certification, and a misplaced “driver shortage” narrative. From carrier authority and broker licensing to ELDT, ELDs, and medical certification, the system increasingly relies on trust where verification is needed. The result is an industry flooded with underqualified participants and a compliance framework struggling to keep up.
Rob Carpenter
FMCSA Keeps Random Drug & Alcohol Testing Rates the Same for 2026
On January 8, 2026, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced what many of us in the industry expected: the minimum random drug testing rate for CDL drivers remains at 50%, with alcohol testing holding steady at 10%.If you're keeping score at home, that's six consecutive years at these rates since FMCSA bumped them up from 25% in January 2020. And based on the numbers coming out of the Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse, don't expect that to change anytime soon.Why the Rate Stays Where It IsHere
Rob Carpenter
CVSA Human Trafficking Awareness Week and What Your Drivers Need to Know
Today through January 16, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance is running its annual Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative across the United States. Law enforcement agencies are conducting outreach at truck stops and weigh stations. Motor carrier officers are handing out materials during roadside inspections. And your drivers are being asked to step up.This is not just an awareness campaign. This is a compliance and safety issue that every fleet should be taking seriously.The Numbers You Need
Rob Carpenter
CDL Drug Testing Faces Uncertainty After Trump Executive Order
It's official. December 18, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order directing the Attorney General to "take all necessary steps to complete the rulemaking process related to rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act in the most expeditious manner."For the cannabis industry, it's a landmark moment. For the trucking industry, it's the beginning of a very uncertain chapter, one that hinges entirely on how the Department of Health and Human Services, the
Rob Carpenter
Chameleon Carriers, Fraud Detection, and FMCSA’s Evolving Data Strategy
Chameleon carriers—trucking companies that shut down and quickly reopen under new identities to avoid regulatory enforcement—have posed a persistent challenge for federal regulators for more than a decade. These operators, often emerging with new names, DOT numbers, or corporate structures, can be difficult to distinguish from legitimate new entrants simply trying to begin operations. Yet the stakes are high. Reincarnated carriers have historically shown higher crash rates, and their ability to
Rob Carpenter