When you’re hauling freight on America’s highways, safety is not optional. It’s the price of admission.
That principle is at the heart of Dalilah’s bill, which the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed today.
Supported by President Trump during last month’s State of the Union, this legislation reinforces a fundamental principle: only properly trained and qualified professionals should get behind the wheel of an 80,000-pound truck. It strengthens safety standards, ensures drivers can understand and communicate in English, and closes gaps in the law that have allowed unqualified or improperly licensed individuals to slip through the cracks, making roads safer for everyone.
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Dalilah’s Law is named after a young girl whose life was changed forever by a preventable accident involving an undocumented immigrant behind the wheel of a commercial truck.
This reckless driver drove through a construction zone and struck the car that five-year-old Dalilah Coleman was driving, leaving her with a permanent disability that will require lifelong care. It is a devastating example of what happens when safety standards are not met or enforced.
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Only properly trained and qualified professionals should get behind the wheel of an 80,000 pound truck. Dalilah Coleman’s story is a painful reminder of what is at stake when we fall short.
In the years following COVID-19, a surge in freight demand brought an influx of opportunity seekers to our industry. While many answered the call responsibly, others chased quick profits without respecting the safety standards the industry depends on. When enforcement is inadequate, safety suffers. And that’s when tragedies like Dalilah’s happen. We’ve seen it in Florida. We’ve seen it in California. We’ve seen it in Indiana.
Dalilah’s Law addresses these gaps head-on.
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It ensures consistent enforcement of English proficiency requirements during roadside checks and makes it clear that drivers who cannot meet these standards should be removed from service. It modernizes the driver data reporting system so that motor carriers are immediately notified if a driver’s commercial driver’s license (CDL) is revoked, suspended or otherwise invalid. And it requires the Department of Transport to strengthen oversight of training providers to ensure new drivers get the instruction they need to work safely.
Just as importantly, it strengthens accountability within the CDL system. States play a central role in licensing, and consistent, rigorous enforcement is critical. By closing gaps and improving coordination, this legislation will help remove bad actors from the road while supporting the vast majority who are doing the job the right way.
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This is what it looks like when government and business work together to solve a real problem. President Trump, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, Representative David Rouzer and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee have answered the call to improve road safety.
By closing gaps and improving coordination, this legislation will help remove bad actors from the road while supporting the vast majority who are doing the job the right way. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
At its core, truck transport is about trust. Americans trust that the goods they depend on will arrive safely. They trust that the trucks they share the road with are driven by qualified professionals. And they trust that the system that oversees this sector is working properly.
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Dalilah’s story is a painful reminder of what is at stake when we fall short. This legislation is our chance to ensure that doesn’t happen.
There is no room for shortcuts when lives are at stake. Congress must pass Dalilah’s law.
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