Congress Weighs Trucking Bills in Lame Duck
Lawmakers return after midterms with several trucking-related bills advancing and a short-term transportation extension set to expire Dec. 11.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Legislative Policy
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Congress returned to work Nov. 9, 2026, after midterm elections changed political power for the next Congress. Several trucking-related bills have advanced through committees or one chamber and may pass during the lame duck session.
Why it matters
Republicans retain control of Congress for five working weeks during the lame duck period, and Democrats may pass a short-term budget bill to gain more leverage over spending in the next session. Legislation that has advanced through major committees and one chamber is likely best positioned to pass.
The House passed the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act 348-60 in May, while the short-term surface transportation extension excluded $36.8 billion in advance appropriations. The House has not held a full floor vote on the BUILD America 250 Act, and the Senate has not introduced its multiyear reauthorization version.
The players
Congress
The United States legislature, which holds the authority to pass the trucking-related bills and the fiscal 2027 appropriations.
Department of Veterans Affairs
The federal agency that would gain streamlined authority to approve apprenticeship programs partnering with veterans under the Veterans Transition to Trucking Act.
The details
The Veterans Transition to Trucking Act, which passed the House by voice vote in May, would let the Department of Veterans Affairs streamline approval for some apprenticeship programs. The Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act would allow the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to assess civil penalties against motor carriers, brokers and freight forwarders.
Timeline
September: A short-term surface transportation extension through Dec. 11 passed.
May: The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act passed the House 348-60, and the Veterans Transition to Trucking Act passed by voice vote.
Nov. 9: Congress returned to work after the midterm elections.
Dec. 11: The short-term surface transportation extension expires.
Fiscal 2027: Lawmakers must make decisions on appropriations bills that will greatly affect the trucking industry.
Legislative Context
The pending trucking bills and the expiring surface transportation extension extend the unfinished reauthorization work of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The House has advanced the BUILD America 250 Act, but the Senate has not yet introduced its multiyear reauthorization counterpart.
The Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act would give federal regulators the power to penalize motor carriers, brokers and freight forwarders that violate rules, affecting consumers who ship household goods. Trucking firms and drivers will face shifting funding and workforce rules depending on which bills clear Congress before the extension lapses.
The takeaway
The trucking bills most likely to pass this lame duck session are those already moving through committees and one chamber, so readers tracking the industry should watch the Dec. 11 deadline closely.
What happens next
The short-term surface transportation extension expires Dec. 11, 2026, and lawmakers must make fiscal 2027 appropriations decisions that will greatly affect the trucking industry.
Further reading
For more on how these bills move through the process, see Legislative Policy.
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Do you trust Congress to pass important priorities during this lame duck session?
