As Americans ring in the new year with family and friends, it’s worth remembering a simple fact: A truck driver delivered nearly everything carrying us into 2026.

From champagne and party hats to the presents under our Christmas trees — and the everyday goods that keep businesses running — truck drivers power the economy year in and year out. They work long hours, spend weeks away from loved ones, and keep freight moving through nights, weekends, and holidays. As the calendar turns, truckers ask for just one thing in 2026: safe roads.

A safe trucking industry depends on qualified drivers, safe equipment, and a system that rewards compliance while swiftly removing bad actors.

For too long, America’s highways have grown more dangerous — not because of professional truck drivers, who rank among the most highly trained and regulated workers in the country, but because of systemic failures that allow illegal, unqualified, and unsafe operators to put lives at risk.

The trucking industry has sounded the alarm, and this White House has listened. By cracking down on fraudulent commercial driver’s license mills, addressing the risks posed by illegal drivers, and taking meaningful steps to combat the surge in cargo theft, the Trump administration has restored accountability to the transportation system and made clear that safety — not shortcuts — is the priority.

Consider CDL mills. These sham operations churn out licenses without proper training, undermining professionalism and putting unqualified drivers behind the wheel of 80,000-pound vehicles. Shutting them down isn’t about limiting opportunity. It’s about ensuring that every driver on the road has earned the right to be there. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s decision to remove thousands of suspect training providers from the federal registry sent a clear message: If you cut corners on safety, you won’t be tolerated.

The same principle applies to basic qualifications. Truck drivers must be able to speak English, read road signs, understand safety rules, and follow the law. Weak state verification standards and lax oversight have allowed illegal operators onto American highways. That is unacceptable.

A commercial driver’s license is not just a credential — it is a promise to the public. When that promise is broken, the consequences can be deadly. Fatal crashes this year in Florida and California show exactly what’s at stake when illegal and unqualified drivers remain behind the wheel.

We are encouraged that the administration has acted quickly to prevent future tragedies by holding states accountable and removing unqualified drivers from the road.

RELATED: Illegal drivers, dead Americans — this is what ‘open borders’ really mean

Photo by Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images

At the same time, law-abiding motor carriers and drivers face another growing threat: cargo theft. What was once an occasional crime has become a nationwide epidemic driven by organized criminal networks. Thieves exploit technology, impersonate legitimate carriers, and target supply chains with increasing sophistication. The result is billions in losses — roughly $18 million per day — and heightened risk for drivers, along with disruptions that raise costs for consumers, especially during the holidays.

Truck drivers should not have to worry about being targeted simply for doing their jobs. That’s why the industry welcomes legislation to elevate cargo theft as a federal priority and improve coordination among law enforcement agencies. Protecting freight isn’t just about economics. It’s about protecting the men and women behind the wheel.

These challenges share a common thread: Safety needs to be enforced consistently, comprehensively, and without exception. A safe trucking industry depends on qualified drivers, safe equipment, and a system that rewards compliance while swiftly removing bad actors.

Professional truck drivers take pride in their work. They train hard, follow the rules, and understand that every mile carries responsibility. They don’t want special treatment — just a level playing field and a government that takes safety as seriously as they do. Today, they have a White House that does.

Let’s ensure that America’s highways remain worthy of the 3.5 million professionals who keep them moving — this year and every year.

​Opinion & analysis, Trucking industry, Transportation department, Cargo theft, Trump administration, Commercial driver’s licenses, Illegal truck drivers, Cdl, Sean duffy, California, Florida, New york, English, Illegal aliens 

His name is Damien McDaniel.

McDaniel is a 23-year-old black man from Fairfield, Alabama, who is currently awaiting trial after allegedly murdering 18 people — yes, 18 people — and wounding over 30 others in little more than a year. He is accused of participating in not one but two mass shootings as well as eight other shootings during this time frame, one of which took the life an unborn child.

‘The media are FASCINATED by white serial killers. Black … serial killers? Not so much.’

McDaniel had multiple arrests as a juvenile, including in connection with a shooting in 2019 when he was 17. On April 26, 2023, he pled guilty to two counts of attempted murder in that case and was sentenced to 15 years with 13 years suspended. Between the suspended sentence and time served, McDaniel was soon released from custody.

Less than three months later, the killing spree attributed to McDaniel began.

According to the allegations, McDaniel, sometimes in conjunction with other assailants, gunned down:

firefighter Jordan Melton on July 12, 2023, as he and firefighter Jamal Jones were performing routine maintenance at their fire station with the bay door propped open. Jones was also shot but fortunately survived.52-year-old Reginald Bryant on November 27, 2023, in an allegedly “targeted” attack.21-year-old Mia Nickson on January 10, 2024.Angeliyah Webster and Christian Norris, both 20, as well as their unborn child. They were last seen alive on February 14, 2024, and their bodies were discovered inside a car three days later, on February 17.44-year-old Anthony Lamar Love Jr. on April 9, 2024, in the parking lot of a UPS facility where Love worked, in what police believe was a case of murder for hire.four people on July 13, 2024, at a place then known as the Trendsetters Lounge and Event Center: Lerandus Anderson, 24; Markeisha Gettings, 39; Stevie McGhee, 39; and Angela Witherspoon, 56.61-year-old Charlie Herbert Moore on August 13, 2024.

Tragically, this brutal 14-month bloodbath then ended with a bang — lots of them. Over the course of three days, McDaniel allegedly participated in shootings that killed:

35-year-old Diontranet Tinae Brown at a bar on September 19, 2024.four people and wounded 17 others at the Hush Lounge on September 21, 2024. The four deceased in that case are: Tahj Booker, 27; Anitra Holloman, 21; Carlos McCain, 27; and Roderick Patterson, 26.32-year-old Jamarcus McIntyre on September 22, 2024.

McDaniel, whose father is currently serving a 26-year sentence for federal drug- and weapons-related offenses, was rearrested in October 2024 and subsequently charged in the above slayings. In many cases, he has been charged with capital murder.

Other suspects charged with murder in some of the cases include: Charles Nance, 41; Lorenzo Wiley, 30; and Hatarius Woods, 28.

McDaniel has pled not guilty to all charges. His attorney John Robbins declined Blaze News’ request for comment, citing a gag order. Earlier this year, Robbins described McDaniel as a “very gentle, kind person” who “doesn’t fit the mold of someone who would do these types of crimes.”

RELATED: Firefighter dead, another seriously injured after horrific shooting inside Alabama firehouse: ‘In my 25 years on the job, this is my worst day’

Composite screenshot of jail records (left: Hatarius Woods | right: Charles Nance)

Each one of these cases appears to have been an instance of black-on-black violence. Every suspect is black, and every deceased victim was also black, as is injured victim Jamal Jones.

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin — who is black, lost a brother to gun violence, and witnessed his sister being shot — has called out McDaniel for behavior so “brazen” and violent that “he needed to be all the way off our streets.” “This is a person who was hell-bent on literally hurting people and taking lives,” Woodfin said.

In fact, the murders of Webster, Norris, and their unborn baby were personal for Mayor Woodfin, who described one of the victims as his cousin.

“My family is no stranger to the devastating consequences of violence. The pain never gets easier. This level of loss is distressing, unacceptable, and cannot — must not — be tolerated,” Woodfin said at the time, referring to the Webster/Norris shooting as well as a separate mass shooting in his city that occurred on the same day the couple was found.

— (@)

McDaniel is scheduled to go on trial in April 2026 in connection with the mass shooting at the Trendsetters lounge. Should he be convicted of those murders as well as of the others, he will be, in the words of conservative talk-show host Larry Elder, “the most prolific serial killer in the history of Alabama.” He would also have been responsible for 30% of the homicides in Birmingham between July and September 2024.

While local media have regularly reported on the accusations against McDaniel, his name and the names of his many, many alleged victims remain largely unfamiliar to Americans living outside Alabama.

Elder postulates that race is the primary reason. “The media are FASCINATED by white serial killers. Black … serial killers? Not so much,” he wrote.

After listening to Elder, Bob Hoge of RedState agreed that the “corrupt corporate media” isn’t interested in reporting on the cases because McDaniel “doesn’t fit their narrative.”

Since “these alleged murders were not carried out by white supremacists or MAGA fans,” national media outlets act “as if it never happened,” Hoge claimed.

Mayor Woodfin has dutifully followed the prevailing narrative regarding race, establishing the Division of Social Justice and Racial Equity in the Birmingham mayoral office a couple of years ago and thereby tacitly propagating the notion that problems in black and other minority communities stem from bigoted whites.

Among its goals, the Division of Social Justice and Racial Equity has pledged to “reduce violence through holistic peace strategies” and “improve the quality of life for all Birmingham residents.” Thus far, it does not seem to have delivered on those promises.

RELATED: Black male stabs white male. But victim uses racial slur AFTER stabbing — and Portland jury issues ‘inconceivable’ verdict.

Mayor Woodfin attends White House event in September 2024 about ending gun violence.Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

In 2024, the number of homicides in Birmingham reached an all-time high.

Data from the coroner’s office in Jefferson County, which has a black population of over 40%, revealed that homicides there spiked from 531 in 2013 to a staggering 942 in 2023. The data further shows that gun violence remains the leading cause of death in Jefferson County, followed by drugs, opioids in particular. Heart disease is a distant fourth.

Birmingham does have a local chapter of Black Lives Matter that decried the “heartbreaking surge in homicides” in 2024 and called out Woodfin for prioritizing opportunities for self-promotion over “community safety.” However, the group, which has posted repeatedly about standing in solidarity with Palestinians and condemning the so-called “genocide” in Gaza, does not seem to have ever mentioned McDaniel specifically or the black people he is accused of killing.

In October 2024, the same month McDaniel was rearrested following the string of murders, Birmingham BLM “core leader” Eric Hall tied violence in the city to political “disinvestment” in education and mental health and slammed those associating violence with black culture.

“The notion that violent crime is a cultural trait rather than a consequence of systemic disenfranchisement must be challenged vigorously. We must hold our elected officials accountable for their role in perpetuating policies that marginalize communities and increase poverty,” Hall wrote.

Hall has also shared stories on social media about recent ICE raids and federal workers fired under Trump, but nothing about the murders of which McDaniel stands accused.

The national Black Lives Matter organization has apparently made no mention of the cases either.

Woodfin and the Birmingham and national chapters of BLM did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

In December, Hall was arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic assault. The race of his alleged victim is unknown.

A lengthy first-person message was posted on McDaniel’s personal Facebook account in July, suggesting that McDaniel is not a “monster” but instead a “man of God” and a victim of the system. The post claimed McDaniel’s due process rights have been “illegally” violated on numerous occasions by those “who took an oath to protect us,” according to WVTM.

“While imprisoned I have been beaten threatened and harassed. They have even went as far as putting metal in my food. They confined me to solitary confinement so that what was being done to me was a secret,” the message read in part. “… Everytime [sic] I am transported back to Jefferson county I feel as if my life is in danger and they are trying to kill me, which is why I am hesitant to even attend court.”

The message also claimed that McDaniel was duped into pleading guilty to the attempted murder charges when he was still a juvenile.

“They tell yall their side of the story but I have a question, can yall handle my side of the story?” the author wrote.

At the time the message was posted to Facebook, McDaniel was in county jail with no computer access except a tablet with which to make phone calls, jail officials claimed, prompting questions about who may have written and posted the message.

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​Damien mcdaniel, Alabama, Birmingham, Randall woodfin, Black lives matter, Politics