Mid-America Trucking Show 2026 Recap

TL;DR The Mid-America Trucking Show is the largest trucking show in North America each year and features innovative technologies, industry pioneers, the annual PKY Beauty contest, and educational seminars from some of the top leaders in transportation. This year’s show did not disappoint. Commercial Credit Group had 10 employees attend to absorb insights and network with customers, dealers, manufacturers, and prospects alike. Major topics of discussion this year included: freight fraud, non-domiciled CDLs, English language proficiency requirements, increased operating costs, growing emission standards, and MOTUS – the FMCSA’s driver and carrier identity verification system, slated to roll out later this year.

This March, members of the Commercial Credit Group team attended the Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) in Louisville, Kentucky. The event is widely regarded as the largest trucking show in North America and provides a unique opportunity to meet with industry leaders throughout the industry. The 2026 show hosted major OEMs such as Kenworth, Peterbilt, Volvo, and Mack, innovative industry disruptors such as Horizon Motors, an all-electric OTR trucking entrant, or Bubba.ai, “the AI AutoPilot for Carriers”. MATS even hosted decision-makers from Washington DC, including Sean Duffy, Secretary of Transportation, and Derek Barrs, the Administrator of the FMCSA. Along with an impressive list of leaders, exhibitors, and educators, the team had the opportunity to shake hands with customers, referrals, prospects, partners, and old friends. The following are the insights derived from all of the above:

State of the Industry

The day one discussion hosted by Dean Croke, Principal Analyst at DAT Freight & Analytics, served as a great talk to zoom out and explore how recent shifts have impacted the transportation industry. In his seminar, Dean highlighted that recent developments with non-domiciled CDLs have led to an increase in the number of USDOT numbers that have been revoked in recent months. This has led to an increase in the overall load-to-truck ratio across industries in the US, meaning more available work for those carriers still hauling. He also highlighted that although spot rates have spiked of late (driven by the simultaneous spike in diesel prices), carriers need to be wary when negotiating loads with their brokers. While fuel surcharges remain high to offset diesel price hikes, carriers need to understand the spot rates they are owed to impede predatory brokerages from infringing upon their increased rates. Refer to XPO’s dynamic fuel surcharge table to stay informed on the money you are owed:

https://www.xpo.com/fuel-surcharge-table/

Apart from analytics, it is evident that the industry has been especially volatile of late and that carriers have certainly been feeling the effects. It was inspiring to be overwhelmed with a sense of optimism while at the show. Presenters, exhibitors, and attendees alike all seemed to have a sense of hope for the future.

Innovation

For an industry that is literally always moving, innovation and technological advancement are the norm. Of late, Artificial Intelligence has served as a disruptor in nearly every industry and facet of life, and trucking is no different. Exhibitors on the show floor, such as Bubba.ai, Augment, and Expertly AI, all boast solutions to help automate operations and optimize your fleet. This year’s expo also welcomed Horizon Motors, an all-electric trucking company. Company Chief Executive Sean Jones admitted that the engine doesn’t make as much sense for haulers susceptible to route variability, extreme temperatures, irregular schedules, and long distances. Although with continuous advancements in the electric space, we could see early adopters for specific vocational vehicles, waste haulers, and delivery companies.

One other point of emphasis that was evident throughout the week was increased stress on the health and well-being of truckers. Project61 hosted a powerful discussion on healthy living. The brand gets its name from the average life expectancy of the American truck driver, 61, and the organization is making an impactful difference in the lives of truckers and their families.

Freight Fraud

Freight Fraud was a major point of discussion at last year’s expo and has been on truckers’ minds for well over a year, but the issue remains prominent in the industry. Within last year’s recap blog, we noted that freight fraud had quadrupled into a $800M nightmare for Americans. More recent estimates from the National Insurance Crime Bureau say that the problem equates to $35B, a problem that has drawn the collective attention of local, state, and federal cargo theft task forces, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Transportation, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and the FBI.

With more stringent enforcement of existing policies, major developments are underway when it comes to combating freight fraud, and collective efforts from the public and private sectors are making waves in removing “Chameleon Carriers”.

The nationwide non-domiciled CDL audit conducted by the FMCSA last year uncovered patterns of systematic neglect and disregard for the rules in place. The audit found that more than one in four of the non-domiciled CDL records failed to comply with federal regulations, leading to 17,000 licenses revoked in California at the end of last year. In one instance, a total of over 700 trucking companies were found registered at the same business address in Signal Hill, 500 of which shared the same phone number and email address. Mockingly, the quiet office location presented a sign out front that read “No Trucks Allowed”.

And California is not the only state affected. During the panel discussion hosted by FMCSA leadership on the second day of the event, Michael Hampton, the Senior Policy Advisor of the FMCSA, stated that nearly half of non-domiciled CDLs were issued illegally in Texas, one in four in New York, and one in five in Illinois, when speaking on systemic non-compliance.

If you are a victim of freight fraud, contact the proper authorities/ Drivers should report occurrences to the proper authorities located at both their location of departure and arrival. The FBI also has a freight fraud division in Philadelphia that handles major organized crime, which can be reached at (215) 418-4000. A lot of work is being done to prevent those bad actors from entering the industry, but there is still more work to be done to remove those that have already infiltrated the system.

MOTUS

MOTUS, Latin for movement or motion, is the USDOT and FMCSA’s linchpin to disbanding the fraudsters that have already infiltrated the Over-the-Road industry and are operating as illegal carriers or brokers today. Described by Acting Associate Administrator for Research and Registration, Dave Sutula, as “the most significant change in data systems in at least the last three decades”, MOTUS will serve to consolidate a number of registration platforms that exist today, making it simpler for both carriers and brokers to register their businesses with the Department of Transportation. The mobile-friendly platform will strive to streamline and secure the antiquated registration process, and USPS and PO boxes will not be accepted as valid business addresses. The official launch has not yet been announced, but the switch is scheduled for some time later this year, and all entities that require a USDOT Number and/or operating authority will be required to make the switch. Find more details at the DOT's website below:

https://motus.dot.gov/

Certainly, lots of insights and takeaways from the three-day event, but the most prominent is simply the sense of optimism felt by all attendees. The trucking industry can sometimes resemble some of our office’s favorite rides at Carowinds (the local amusement park near our company headquarters), but after spending three days and walking 50,000+ steps at MATS 2026, we left with a profound sense of hope for the future.