
Elected again to the presidency of the U.S., Donald Trump wasted no time making good on campaign promises by rapidly rolling out most of his picks for key Cabinet positions by Nov. 13, barely a week after the polls closed.
American voters gave the Republicans a trifecta of victory: Trump will take office next year with his party controlling both the House and the Senate. This will mark the first time Republicans have had full control of Congress and the White House since 2018.

The qualifier is the GOP will hold both sides of Capitol Hill by slim majorities, meaning strict party discipline will be needed to pass major legislation.
The House Republican majority will bump up slightly from the current 220-213 to 218-209 — a mere two-seat gain. With those numbers, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) will have his hands full again corralling votes from the so-called “five families,” the five factions within the fractious Republican caucus. As a result, he’ll once more need a handful of Democratic votes to push must-pass legislation across the finish line.
Likewise, the GOP will take back the Senate from the Democrats, likely by at least 52 vs. 47 seats. There’s one race left to call in Pennsylvania that may go to the GOP, giving them a net gain of three seats and vice-president-elect JD Vance, when needed, will hold the tie-breaking vote in his additional constitutional role as president of the Senate.
But the reality is the Senate’s arcane filibuster rule is still in effect, requiring 60 votes to pass most measures. That means some Democratic votes will be needed to enact major legislation in the new Senate as well. Thus, the fine art of horse-trading will remain alive and well on both sides of Capitol Hill.
What’s more, Senate Republicans have already handed Trump what may be regarded as his first political loss ahead of taking office by electing Sen. John Thune (SD-R) as Majority Leader. A veteran legislator and decidedly non-MAGA intuitionalist schooled for 18 years by retiring Leader Mitch McConnel (R-KY), Thune has managed to criticize Trump at times yet stay on a relatively even keel with him.
Cabinet seats
That may change if Trump seeks to force his cabinet and federal court nominations through the Senate by the rarely invoked — and little understood — tactic of issuing recess appointments. Meant to be used as a temporary workaround in certain situations, recess appointments bypass the Senate’s hallowed role under the constitution’s Separation of Powers clause to vet and confirm presidential nominations to high offices by a simple majority (51%) vote.
All that matters because once Donald Trump is inaugurated as the 47th president on Jan. 20, Cabinet nominations will be sent to the Senate for confirmation and those confirmed will lead the push on Capitol Hill to put Trump’s policies into law.
So far, those named are Trump loyalists having varying levels of the qualifications traditionally expected for filling these critical executive roles. While some like Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) for Secretary of State will raise no eyebrows and breeze through confirmation, highly controversial choices, like former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), will find it no easy stroll up Capitol Hill.
EPA and DOT
Of the three Cabinet slots arguably of greatest importance to the trucking industry, Transportation, Labor, and Environmental Protection, only nominees for EPA and for DOT have yet been announced.
Named on Nov. 12 to head EPA is former U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin (R-NY), a conservative politician. While serving in the House from 2015-23, Zeldin was a staunch supporter of Trump. His prior transportation experience includes a stint from 2007-08 as an attorney for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The expectation is Zeldin will aim to roll back regulations deemed costly to business and not launch new rulemakings by the agency.
On Nov. 18, Trump named former U.S. Representative (R-WI) and current Fox Business host Sean P. Duffy to head the Department of Transportation. He served in Congress from 2011 until 2019, when he stepped down for family reasons. Prior to being elected to his first term, he served as an attorney in private practice before becoming a prosecutor and then serving as the district attorney for Ashland County, Wisc.
American Trucking Associations (ATA) president and CEO Chris Spear said in a statement that while in Congress, Duffy “focused on issues facing our industry and supported pro-trucking policies to strengthen the supply chain and our ability to keep the nation’s goods moving safely and efficiently.”
Spear added that Duffy understands the “opportunity now before us to improve our transportation network by reducing congestion, investing in truck parking, enhancing highway safety, and supporting the development of innovative technologies. He is an exceptional choice to lead the Department of Transportation.”
Todd Spencer, president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) also signaled approval of Duffy’s nomination. “We look forward to working with him in advancing the priorities of small business truckers across America, including expanding truck parking, fighting freight fraud, and rolling back unnecessary regulations,” Spencer said in a statement.
Graves to gavel or not
At least some of the smart money had been on Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO) getting the DOT nod. He had stated to the press that “it would be an honor if the president called upon me to serve in the administration, and it’s something I would duly consider.”
Instead, next year Graves may again preside as chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, whose purview includes all legislation pertaining to trucking and road and bridge infrastructure. The top Republican on the Transportation Committee for almost a decade, he is steeped in transportation policy and respected on Capitol Hill for working across the aisle to pass major bills through to enactment and would lend immediate credibility to any Trump transportation initiative.
Trucking’s take
Leaders of top trucking stakeholder groups in the U.S. have largely cheered Trump’s election to a new four-year term. That’s not surprising. If Trump is anything, he is full-throatily pro-business. What’s more, trucking’s biggest lobby, the ATA, generated tons of media coverage and gained more leverage on Capitol Hill by hitching their wagon to the first Trump administration early on in 2017.
In congratulating Trump on his new victory, ATA president spear stated that, “President Trump made trucking a priority throughout his first term and partnered with us to enact policies that strengthened the supply chain, grew the economy, and delivered for all Americans. His second term offers an historic opportunity to build upon that record and show why the best approach to governing is one paved by common sense.”
Spear listed key policy issues that ATA believes the Trump administration will move the needle on to benefit trucking. These include ditching EPA’s electric truck rule in favor of “national emission standards that are technologically achievable and account for the operational realities of our essential industry;” repealing the punitive federal excise tax on heavy-duty trucks; “protecting the right of independent truckers to choose their own career path,” and seeking or prevent “lawsuit abuse” (aka “tort reform”) to “restore balance and fairness to the civil justice system.”
The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) coupled its congratulatory statement on Trump’s with a detailed list of seven “legislative predictions of TCA’s top issues impacting the truckload industry.”
TCA’s issues assessment includes:
Independent contractor status: The prior rule under the Trump administration was straightforward, establishing two primary factors to determine independent contractors or employment status. TCA predicts: The Trump administration will reinstate original rule.
Environmental regulations: In 2024, the EPA announced a final rule, Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles – Phase 3, which sets stringent standards and timelines to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from heavy-duty vehicles from Model Years 2027 to 2032. TCA predicts: The standards may be revised to levels deemed achievable for internal combustion engines, extending compliance timelines, and exploring alternative pathways to reach emissions targets, such as the adoption of renewable diesel.
Infrastructure: In 2021, the Biden Administration signed the US$1.2 trillion Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) for transportation and infrastructure spending, putting aside US$110 billion for roads, bridges and significant projects. TCA Predicts: Just as President Biden played a large impact of the IIJA, President-elect Trump could similarly influence the 2026 infrastructure bill, potentially by reducing environmental provisions and allocating additional funds for expanding highway and bridge capacity.
Truck parking: Although the Biden Administration did not set aside specific funding for truck parking initiatives in the IIJA, funding for infrastructure projects was generalized. TCA predicts: The Truck Parking Safety Improvement calls for US$755 million over the next three years to expand commercial vehicle parking throughout the country. “The bill itself has been quite favorable for both Republican and Democratic parties, as it shows bipartisanship in both houses of Congress. Vice-president Elect J.D. Vance is a co-sponsor of the bill and has been an ally to the trucking industry.”
Speed limiters: During the Biden Administration, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) sought to release a supplemental rule on speed limiters. However, the proposed rule has been delayed during Biden’s time in office. TCA has supported this safety technology as many of its carrier members have speed limiters in place. TCA predicts: The speed limiter rule could be delayed, as many Republicans in Congress are not in favor of this technology. With a Trump Administration and a Republican Congress, a speed limiter ruling may never come in place.
Lawsuit abuse: The Biden Administration supported labor law legislation to broaden the scope of violations and increase monetary damages, like those seen in truck accident lawsuits. TCA predicts: The Trump Administration is expected to support legislation that would allow lawsuits to be brought into the federal court system. This could help curb “nuclear verdicts” (awards exceeding $10 million) against trucking companies and advance tort reform efforts championed by trucking, building on the momentum these reforms have gained at the state level.
Sizes and weights: Historically, Congress has consistently opposed raising national semi-truck size and weight limits due to concerns about public safety and potential damage to infrastructure. In 2015, the House of Representatives voted on a bipartisan basis to maintain the current federal limits. TCA predicts: With a Republican president and a Republican majority in Congress, legislation increasing federal tractor-trailer size and weight standards could likely be introduced into Congress.
On the books
Trump Cabinet members and other key administration personnel may be champing at the bit to simply “roll back” those regulations they view as anti-business. But the reality is that even with a trifecta in place, the wheels of the federal government turn with glacial swiftness.
Nowhere is that truer than with the painstakingly complex rulemaking process, whether a given rule is to be mandated by Congress or promulgated by a federal agency.
And it is harder still to rewrite or discard a rule on the books than it was to put it there in the first place. This same discussion was a hot topic at the start of Trump’s first term in 2017 and very few if any rules for trucking were rolled back in those four years. And of course, under Trump, the trucking industry’s lobbies will run their policy prescriptions up Capitol Hill as always.
Regardless of where Americans stand on the multiple issues that drove the 2024 election results and what the next four years may hold for them, it’s a pretty sure bet that policy-wise, trucking will find itself cruising along a very smooth road.
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