FMCSA Engages with Owner-Operators, Says OOIDA

Association exec Lewie Pugh sees new willingness from regulators to listen to small-business trucking interests on safety.

Mar. 30, 2026 at 8:49pm

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A high-end, photorealistic studio still-life photograph featuring a polished metal truck wheel hub and lug nuts on a clean, monochromatic seamless background, conceptually representing the abstract ideas of highway safety and transportation regulations.A photorealistic studio still life captures the abstract concepts of highway safety and the interests of small trucking businesses.Washington Today

According to Lewie Pugh, executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), federal regulators are finally listening to truckers and other small-business interests in their push toward safety improvement, moving away from the long-held notion of a driver shortage that has rushed unqualified drivers into the industry.

Why it matters

The perception of a driver shortage has influenced the credentialing and training system for decades, leading to drivers being rushed into the business before they are ready, with often terrible outcomes in terms of highway safety. Pugh's comments suggest regulators may be shifting away from this mindset, which could lead to more sustainable and safer practices in the industry.

The details

In a podcast interview, Pugh said regulators showed a willingness to engage with owner-operators at last week's Mid-America Trucking Show. He emphasized OOIDA's priorities with the current administration, including positivity in the broader freight markets despite the recent fuel price escalation after the Iran conflict. Pugh also discussed the legal challenge to FMCSA's rule effectively eliminating most non-domiciled CDL issuance for non-citizens, which could impact independent owner-operators like Jorge Rivera Lujan.

  • Last week, regulators engaged with owner-operators at the Mid-America Trucking Show.
  • On March 16, the FMCSA rule eliminating most non-domiciled CDL issuance for non-citizens went into effect.

The players

Lewie Pugh

Executive Vice President of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA).

Jorge Rivera Lujan

An independent owner-operator who is part of a legal challenge to the FMCSA's non-domiciled CDL rule, as he was brought to the U.S. as a child and is protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

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What they’re saying

“If you're really concerned about safety numbers, we want zero fatalities, we want all these things to happen ... we have to train people, we have to pay people, and we have to give them a safe place to rest. That's the first three things we should be doing, and until we do that, we're never going to fix highway safety. It's never going to get better.”

— Lewie Pugh, OOIDA Executive Vice President

What’s next

Plaintiffs in the legal challenge to the FMCSA's non-domiciled CDL rule have filed for expedited review by the D.C. appeals circuit, as the previous request for a stay was denied. The outcome of this appeal will determine the future for owner-operators like Jorge Rivera Lujan who are impacted by the rule change.

The takeaway

The shift in federal regulators' attitudes, as described by OOIDA's Lewie Pugh, suggests a move away from the long-held notion of a driver shortage that has led to rushed and inadequate credentialing and training. This could pave the way for more sustainable and safety-focused practices in the trucking industry, benefiting small-business owner-operators.