MSC on the Move: February 2026

 
February 27, 2026
American Trucking Associations Daily Digest
Edition Highlights
  • Latest Updates from ATA-MSC: 2026 ATA-MSC Annual Meeting, upcoming events, and more
  • Join Ignite Digital for the Next MSC Unpacked Webinar and take advantage of a replay of this month's lifesaving webinar by Trucker's Against Trafficking.
  • Updates from Washington: Freight Fraud, Independent Truckers, CDL Mills, and more
  • Movers Let us Hear Your Voice: ATRI Launches 2026 Operational Costs of Trucking Survey and Releases Annual List of Top 100 Truck Bottlenecks
  • Conference Bulletin: ATA-MSC welcomes 2 new members
    • Hoekstra Moving Company of Coopersville, MI
    • Apex Moving Systems LC of North Bethesda, MD
 
Director's Note
ATA-MSC Members,
We’re on the final countdown as movers take over Music City, March 15 - 17. Our lineup of speakers is better than ever with content designed to strengthen your company’s bottom-line and open doors to new opportunities. Those include:

We will also have our popular segments devoted to Independent Movers: Speed Mentoring and Dueling Perspectives. Our mentors will be guiding discussions on the Claims Process, Telematics and Training your Team. Move for Hunger will be hosting a meal-packing event, and our industry will be honoring its Driver of the year, Agent of the year, Independent Mover of the year and much more, such as noted author and CNBC Guest Steven Goldbach who will be our keynote speaker at our annual awards lunch. 

Time is running out, but there is still time to register and be a part of the moving and storage industry’s largest event.

We will also be voting on a new slate of Directors to help lead the Moving and Storage Conference, which is below.

 
Board Category Director Member Term End
Mover-Independent/Small Derrick Potter Firefighting's Finest Moving & Storage 2028
Mover-Independent/Small Brian Yarham Eyring Movers 2028
Mover-Independent/Medium Spero Georgedakis Good Greek Moving & Storage 2028
Mover-Independent/Medium Alison McDaniel Alison's Relocation 2028
Mover-Independent/Large Lisa Rivard Gentle Giant Moving Co. 2028
Mover-Agent Jeremy Day Ace Relocation Systems 2028
Mover-Agent Chris Higdon California Moving Systems 2028
Mover-Agent Jeff Barber J. Barber Moving & Storage 2028
Mover-Agent Lacy Brakefield Coleman Worldwide 2028
Mover-Agent Jordan McDaniel Hilldrup 2028
Mover-At-Large Judd Levine Maffucci Moving and Storage 2028
Mover-At-Large Ian Imlach Imlach Group 2028
Mover-At-Large Lary Vinzant A-1 Freeman Moving & Storage 2028
Mover-At-Large David Morse Morse Moving and Storage 2028
Mover-At-Large Sofia Smith CMS Companies 2028
Mover-Van Line Bob McCabe UniGroup 2028
State Association Steve Weitekamp California Moving & Storage Association 2028
Supplier Brian Shaeffer MSS, Inc. 2028
Individual TBA MSC Driver of the Year Award Winner 2027

This month, we held an important webinar on the horrible scourge of human trafficking, a replay can be found here. Presented by our partners at Truckers Against Trafficking, it provided practical tips for movers and anyone on our roads of what to spot and what to be on the lookout for. And if there was any doubt that this danger isn’t real, by now you should be aware of the heroic actions of a crew with Camelback Moving who literally went the extra mile in service to their community, springing into and taking action when it was needed. What a great representative of this industry. Read more here.

Join us next month to learn more about search engine optimization (SEO) and how to turn leads into revenue as we inch closer to peak moving season, learn more here. 


Dan Hilton
Executive Director, Moving and Storage Conference
American Trucking Associations
80 M Street, SE, Suite 800
Washington, D.C.  20003
O: 703-838-7970
dhilton@trucking.org
MSC Unpacked: Independent Movers Education Series
Turn your website into your best salesperson with Ignite Digital

What is the hardest part of the business right now? For most carriers and movers, it isn't the work itself—it's finding consistent, quality leads. 

You don't need to be a tech wizard to fix this. You just need to stop chasing "clicks" and start chasing customers.

Join the ATA-MSC and Ignite Digital for a no-nonsense webinar on Wednesday, March 25 at 1pm Eastern Time. We are ditching the buzzwords and showing you a proven system to get your phone ringing. 

In this session, we will show you:
  1. Stop Chasing "Tire Kickers": How to filter out bad leads and get found by shippers who are ready to book right now. 
  2. The 4-Step Checklist: We break down the complicated stuff into four simple goals: Make your site work, make it relevant, make it trusted, and make it sell. 
  3. The "City + Service" Rule: Don't just tell Google you do "Trucking." We’ll show you how to label your site so people looking for "Refrigerated Transport in [Your City]" find you first. 

Free Bonus: Everyone who registers gets a Free Competitive Analysis. We will look at your biggest competitor's website and tell you exactly what they are doing right (and where you can beat them).

For more information or to register for the webinar, please click here. 
ICYMI: February MSC Unpacked Recording
Earlier this month, the ATA-MSC hosted MSC Unpacked Independent Movers Webinar - On the Front Lines: How Movers Can Help Disrupt Human Trafficking

There are 90K+ members of the moving industry, each of them potentially in a critical position to make a difference in the lives of human trafficking victims. Members of the moving and storage industry are in and out of homes and businesses and have the unique opportunity (similar to others in home delivery) of being in neighborhoods and office parks in a way that many other commercial drivers are not. While they may see human trafficking taking place over the road (on cross-country or regional moves), they may also have the ability to witness trafficking taking place in the cities and neighborhoods where they operate. TAT (Truckers Against Trafficking) is raising a mobile army able to recognize and report trafficking, leading to the recovery of victims and arrest of perpetrators. Attendees learned how movers can help effect change and aid in the disruption of human trafficking networks across North America. 

Access the recording linked here.
The Latest News: Updates from Washington DC
ATA Backs New Legislation to Fight Freight Fraud
Yesterday, the American Trucking Associations applauded Senator Todd Young (R-IN) for introducing legislation to reduce freight fraud and theft, strengthen regulatory oversight, prevent unlawful operations, and enhance enforcement across the commercial motor carrier industry.  
 
The Securing American Freight, Enforcement, and Reliability in Transport (SAFER Transport) Act represents a direct response to issues that were raised during a Senate Commerce Subcommittee hearing that Senator Young chaired last year on rising incidents of cargo theft.  Testifying on behalf of ATA, an owner of a trucking small business described how his company’s identity was stolen by technologically advanced criminals, who used that information to divert and steal loads.  The con artists took advantage of weaknesses in FMCSA’s Safety and Fitness Electronic Records (SAFER) System to perpetrate their crime.

To read more, click here.
 
ATA Welcomes Proposed Rule to Protect Independent Truckers
Today, the American Trucking Associations commended the Trump Administration for proposing an independent contractor rule that rescinds a destructive, Biden-era classification standard.  ATA has long pushed for this proposed rule to protect over 350,000 independent truckers.  This regulatory move would restore the first Trump Administration’s definition for independent contractors that brought clarity and order to the law in this area.

“Following years of advocacy led by ATA, the Trump Administration’s proposal represents a significant step forward to defend the livelihoods of the hundreds of thousands of truckers who choose to work as independent contractors,” said ATA President & CEO Chris Spear.  “We thank President Trump for listening to the concerns of professional drivers and taking action to protect individual opportunity, our supply chain, and our economy.  ATA will continue to support the effort to finalize this rule as well as urge Congress to pass legislation that would codify President Trump’s beneficial policy into law.”

The trucking industry has relied on independent contractors since the inception of interstate trucking, and court decisions over the last nine decades have continually reaffirmed the legitimate role independent contractors play in the economy.

To read more, click here.
ATA Applauds USDOT's Continued Crackdown on CDL Mills
Following the U.S. Department of Transportation's announcement that it is proposing the removal of 550 sham CDL training schools from FMCSA's training provider registry, American Trucking Associations Chief Advocacy & Public Affairs Officer Henry Hanscom issued this statement:

“We commend the Trump Administration for taking decisive action to strengthen the integrity of our commercial driver training system and reinforce its commitment to safer roads. 

The proposed removal or voluntary withdrawal of more than 550 CDL training providers from the national Training Provider Registry makes clear there is no place in trucking for sham schools that fail to meet federal requirements..."


To access the full statement, click here.
 
ATA Calls on EPA to Ease Heavy-Duty NOx Standards
Last week, the American Trucking Associations sent a letter urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reevulate heavy-duty NOx standards to avoid causing major operational challenges for the trucking industry.

“ATA appreciates the commonsense approach to environmental regulation that the EPA is taking under [Administrator Zeldin’s] leadership,” wrote ATA President & CEO Chris Spear.  “EPA’s commitment to engage industry stakeholders and reevaluate existing regulations will help to ensure environmental protections are appropriately balanced with the need to sustain economic growth and industry competitiveness.”

To read more, click here.
ATA Backs SAFE Act to Combat Chameleon Carriers
Earlier this month, the American Trucking Associations expressed strong support for the Safety and Accountability in Freight Enforcement (SAFE) Act introduced by Congresswoman Harriet Hageman (R-WY) to combat chameleon carriers.  
 
Chameleon carriers are high-risk trucking companies that are shut down and reopen under different identities—rotating through names, ownership structures, or U.S. Department of Transportation registration numbers—to avoid penalties, enforcement actions, insurance consequences, and public scrutiny.  They often continue using the same trucks, managers, drivers, and addresses while pretending to be a brand-new company. 

To read more, click here.
 
 
 
Movers, Let us Hear Your Voice: Research and Upcoming Surveys
ATRI Invites Motor Carriers to Participate in 2026 Operational Costs Data Collection
Earlier this week, the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) called on for-hire motor carriers to participate in its annual Operational Costs of Trucking report.

ATRI’s Operational Costs of Trucking is trusted by thousands of industry decisionmakers every year as a key barometer of freight market conditions and is the leading public benchmarking tool for motor carriers of all sectors, from owner-operators to 10,000+ truck fleets. 

The report tracks cost metrics such as driver pay, equipment expenditures, and insurance premiums as well as key performance indicators such as non-revenue mileage, driver utilization, mileage between breakdowns, and revenue per truck per week.

All participating motor carriers receive a customized report that compares their costs and operations to an anonymized peer group of the same sector and size. New in 2026, customized reports for multi-year participants will also include year-over-year comparisons to more directly evaluate trends over time.

For more information, please click here.
 
ATRI Releases Annual List of Top 100 Truck Bottlenecks
Last week, the American Transportation Research Institute released its 15th annual list highlighting the most congested bottlenecks for trucks in America, with the interchange of Interstate 294 and Interstates 290/88 in Chicago ranking as the most congested freight bottleneck in the country. 

As Congress prepares to reauthorize the nation’s surface transportation programs, this timely analysis can help local, state, and federal governments target funding where it is needed most. 

“Congestion delays inflicted on truckers are the equivalent of 436,000 drivers sitting idle for an entire year,” said ATRI President and COO Rebecca Brewster. “While these congestion metrics are getting worse, the good news is that states do not need to accept the status quo. Illinois has been home to the country’s top bottleneck before, but following a sustained effort to expand capacity, its previous #1 bottleneck at the Jane Byrne Interchange no longer ranks in the top 25. This data gives policymakers a road map to reduce chokepoints, lower emissions, and drive economic growth.”

For more information, please click here.
 
 
 
Conference Bulletin
News from the Industry
  • We were excited to welcome the following new members to the Conference this month! 
    • Hoekstra Moving Company of Coopersville, MI
    • Apex Moving Systems LC of North Bethesda, MD
    Thank you for your support as we continue to grow the Conference.
  • If you haven't already, click here to join us on Facebook and keep up with the latest news and events at ATA-MSC!
     
  • Have an item to share in the next MSC on the Move? Email Danielle Hahami at dhahami@trucking.org
     
  • To access the full ATA MSC Membership Directory, click here.