Once again, America is mourning because our commercial driver’s license (CDL) system has failed.
Federal authorities say a Kyrgyz national behind the wheel of a semi-truck drove into oncoming traffic in Jay County, Indiana, killing four people and injuring several others. ICE has now arrested the driver. But for the families of the lost, enforcement after the fact is cold comfort.
Driving an £80,000 commercial vehicle is not a right. It’s a responsibility. And if that responsibility is handed over to someone who hasn’t been properly vetted and isn’t qualified to handle it, the consequences can be catastrophic.
The state of Pennsylvania issued this truck driver a non-domiciled CDL, a credential given to someone who is legally allowed to work in the U.S. but is not a permanent resident of the state that issues the license – often foreigners working under a temporary U.S. work permit. But they must meet the same strict federal standards as all CDLs.
DOT CRACKDOWN PULLS HUNDREDS OF ENGLISH-ILITHERITE, ILLEGAL IMMIGRATIVE TRUCKS OFF THE ROADS AS ATTACKS RUN
Truck traffic heads south on the Cross Bronx Expressway (I-95) toward the Trans-Manhattan Expwy and New Jersey. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Federal audits have repeatedly shown that some states are making cuts. Weak oversight and inadequate enforcement have allowed unqualified drivers to slip through the cracks and onto America’s highways, endangering law-abiding motorists and professional truck drivers.
We have seen the consequences before. Last summer, a driver who was in the country illegally killed three people in Florida after making an illegal U-turn on the busy Florida Turnpike. That driver had already failed his commercial driving test ten times but still had a CDL, rightly leading to the need for better state oversight and federal legislation to create new safeguards around the way CDLs are issued.
Investigations have revealed glaring systemic deficiencies in states like California, where audits found a staggering share of non-domiciled CDLs were issued in a manner that failed to meet federal safety and immigration standards, including cases related to a fatal highway crash in Ontario, California in October that killed three people.
Professional truck drivers undergo intensive training, rigorous drug and alcohol testing, English language proficiency requirements, and constant supervision. These are core safety protocols designed to protect everyone on our roads. When it comes to highway safety, rules and regulations only matter if they are enforced.
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It is not only irresponsible to allow individuals who do not meet these standards to control large platforms. It’s downright dangerous, and the preventable crashes in Florida and California, and now this latest crash in Indiana, are a stark reminder of what can — and does — go wrong.
The Trump administration is to be commended for stepping in where states have failed. Under President Donald Trump and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, the federal government has tightened oversight of non-domiciled CDLs, expanded audits of state licensing agencies and held states accountable when they fail to verify legal status, qualifications and basic safety requirements. But we can’t stop there. As I testified on Capitol Hill in January, Congress has an opportunity to take decisive action and build on the Department of Transportation’s ongoing efforts to restore national uniformity, improve the integrity of driver vetting and credentialing, and restore public confidence in the safety and reliability of the workforce.
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Too many families have already suffered unimaginable losses. We shouldn’t wait for the next tragic headline to spur reform. Ensuring that every CDL holder is qualified is essential and states must be held accountable if they fail to comply with federal law.
America’s highways require professionalism and responsibility. Anything less is a disservice to the American people.
