I received a letter from the FMCSA today stating that, effective immediately, my company no longer has a conditional safety rating. This has been the most difficult experience I’ve ever been through. My audit began on June 13, 2025, and the results came back on November 21, 2025. My company was one violation over the 10% threshold for Hours of Service (HOS) violations. Because of that, our conditional rating became public on January 21, 2026. Then came the Supreme Court decision in May 2026. Every broker stopped working with us except three. I had to transition to 100% direct customers, having already been at 70%. In one sense, the experience helped me cut out the middleman. My recommendation to all owner-operators and fleets is to go 100% direct. In my opinion, relying on brokers as your business plan is a strategy for failure following that decision. One bad month of problems on the road could land you on a broker’s DNU (“Do Not Use”) list at any time. I made it through this conditional rating because of loyal employees, the ability to borrow $500,000, and a supportive wife. There were times when I wanted to give up. I became depressed, and suicide crossed my mind more times than I’d like to admit. I support the FMCSA’s mission, but based on my experience, the agency cannot handle its workload. Communication is lacking, help is difficult to get, and I often felt like no one cared about what was happening to my business or my family. I’m grateful I made it through, but this was the most frustrating, exhausting, and overwhelming experience of my life. I have never felt so helpless, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

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