A truck driver on I-80 in Indiana faced an unusual and dangerous roadside encounter after a man allegedly stopped in front of her semi, exited his vehicle carrying an axe and began striking the truck.

Indiana State Police say a 29-year-old man driving a Volkswagen was traveling erratically on I-80 near Hammond, cutting off and brake-checking commercial vehicles.

Police say he stopped directly in front of a Freightliner, exited barefoot and approached the truck while carrying a long-handled axe. The driver reported that he struck the truck, damaging the grille, radiator and headlight.

Approximately 20 minutes later, another truck driver reported a similar encounter several miles away involving another Freightliner.

Law enforcement later pursued the Volkswagen before officers took the driver into custody.

The incident is another reminder of the unpredictable situations professional drivers can encounter while simply doing their jobs.

Source: Indiana State Police via Forth News

BNSF Railway announced a new strategic partnership with Spearpoint Logistics at its Barstow International Gateway in Southern California.

Spearpoint specializes in heavyweight international cargo and will provide warehousing and transportation services at the massive intermodal site.

The bigger picture: BNSF is continuing to build out Barstow as a major inland freight hub designed to move international containers away from Southern California ports faster and connect them directly into the national rail network.

The announcement comes less than a month after BNSF also named NFI as a logistics partner at the facility. 

Source: NSF Railway, Sept. 15, 2026

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says automation will increasingly enter trucking over the next five to ten years, with long-haul freight among the areas most likely to see autonomous technology expand.

Asked whether the future of trucking will still include drivers or become automated, Duffy said, “I love our truck drivers, but you’re going to see automation come in.”

He added that he wants to preserve truck-driving jobs and said autonomous technology will work for some areas of trucking but not others.

The comments come less than two weeks after the U.S. Department of Transportation unveiled its 2026–2030 Automated Vehicles National Strategy, which calls for expanding autonomous vehicle deployment in both passenger and freight transportation, removing regulatory barriers and developing interstate corridors that support automated operations.

Taken together, the remarks and policy rollout signal that federal transportation policy is moving toward broader commercial deployment of autonomous freight technology, even as Duffy publicly emphasizes preserving driver jobs.

Source: Fox News interview with Sean Duffy, Sept. 14, 2026
U.S. Department of Transportation, Automated Vehicles National Strategy, Sept. 3, 2026