BUILD America 250 Act: What’s in the $580 Billion Highway Bill for Truckers

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A sweeping, five-year highway funding package is moving through Congress and if it becomes law, it will touch everything from the routes drivers run to how they’re drug tested.

H.R. 8870, the BUILD America 250 Act, landed in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in mid-May 2026. At more than 1,000 pages and $580 billion over five years, it’s the House’s main vehicle for reauthorizing federal surface transportation funding before the current authorization runs out on September 30, 2026.

The bill cleared its first real hurdle on May 22, when the committee approved it 62–2 after a marathon markup session. That lopsided vote suggests several of the driver-related provisions have real staying power, even though the bill will likely change before final passage.

As of late July, the bill hasn’t reached the House floor yet and it’s still awaiting a full chamber vote, with Senate negotiations still ahead. The clock is ticking toward the September 30 funding deadline.

What’s in it for drivers

• Bridges: More than $50 billion is earmarked for repairing and replacing aging bridges, aimed squarely at the weight-restricted, deteriorating overpasses that force costly detours and create safety risks.
• Truck parking: A new $750 million pilot program builds on Jason’s Law to expand safe truck parking — a direct response to drivers getting boxed into HOS violations or unsafe overnight spots when nothing legal is available.
• Hair testing: Section 5206 gives DOT one year to update Part 40 drug testing rules to formally recognize hair testing, once HHS finalizes its scientific guidelines. Many carriers already hair test at hiring but can’t log results in the Clearinghouse because it isn’t federally recognized yet. Since hair tests cover a much longer detection window than urine screens, this could reshape compliance across the industry.
• DataQ reform: Section 5203 overhauls the DataQ challenge process, long criticized because the officers who issue violations often review the disputes against them. The bill aims to make contesting inaccurate SMS violations faster and more transparent.
• Autonomous trucks: The bill sets up the country’s first uniform federal framework for autonomous commercial vehicles, replacing the current patchwork of state rules. Manufacturers of Level 4 and Level 5 systems would be legally responsible for all driving decisions while the automation is engaged. Regulators get two years to write performance standards — but a provision letting manufacturers self-certify their own vehicles is already shaping up to be a fight.

Bottom line

This is one of the more driver-focused infrastructure bills to move through Congress in years. It still has to clear the House floor and survive Senate negotiations before the September deadline, so expect changes — but the strength of the committee vote means most of these provisions are worth watching closely.

Article contributed by Brad Klepper, President of Drivers Legal Plan.

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