Over five days this summer, inspectors in the U.S. and Canada conducted 5,046 inspections of commercial motor vehicles transporting hazardous materials/dangerous goods (HM/DG) as part of a Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance unannounced enforcement initiative. As a result, 683 vehicles were placed out of service.
Out of 4,122 total HM inspections conducted in the U.S., 500 vehicles were placed out of service. And out of the 924 total DG inspections completed in Canada, 183 of those vehicles were placed out of service.
Inspectors also affixed 1,187 CVSA decals to 794 power units and 393 trailers. A CVSA decal is placed on a vehicle or vehicle combination after an eligible inspection to indicate there were no critical vehicle or specification cargo tank violations on those vehicles.
Pilot celebrates Heart Association donations
Pilot, North America’s largest network of travel centers, is celebrating having raised nearly $11.5 million in support of the American Heart Association in the last nine years.
Pilot said in a statement that this achievement reflects the power of community action and rhe company's commitment to safety, uniting people in the fight against heart disease and stroke to help save and improve lives.
To celebrate this milestone, Pilot joined the Heart Association at its 2026 Greater Knoxville Heart Walk on Sept. 12. The event brought together Pilot leadership, team members and Heart Association representatives to honor nearly a decade of giving and impact.
Since 2017, Pilot has supported the Heart Association through annual in-store fundraising campaigns. Each year during Heart Month in February and Stroke Month in May, Pilot’s guests have turned routine fill-ups into critical funds by rounding up eligible purchases to the nearest dollar at checkout or purchasing a paper heart.
“At Pilot, our purpose is to show people they matter at every turn, and supporting the safety and wellness of our team members, guests and surrounding communities through heart health and stroke awareness education is one of the most critical and meaningful ways we can live out that purpose,” said Adrienne Ingoldt, senior vice president, communications, risk and procurement at Pilot.
MS has least distracted drivers; NM the most
A September 2026 report released by Crowson Law Group reveals the states where motorists are the least likely to take their eyes off the road.
The study found:
- Mississippi drivers are the most attentive in the country, with fatal crashes because of drinking or eating behind the wheel happening less than once a year.
- The roads safest from distracted driving are in Rhode Island, when it comes to raw numbers, with just nine related fatal crashes in the last five years.
- Alaska recorded only one fatal accident because of phone use behind the wheel in the last five years, and none due to food or drink distractions.
To determine where drivers stay the most attentive on the road, the research collected data on three kinds of distraction-caused accidents. The study compared food- and drink-related fatal crashes, deadly accidents involving vehicle controls and in-vehicle objects, and mobile phone distractions.
Based on data from 2020-2024 from the NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for all 50 states, the report calculated the fatal accident rate per 1,000 drivers and included law penalties for each region.
The top five states for the last number of distractyeddriving fatalities include:
- Mississippi
- Nevada
- West Virginia
- Connecticut
- Arkansas
New Mexico was the state with the highest number of distracted driving fatalities.
ICYMI
Nebraska troopers seize record $50 million in pot, and related products
