A recent fatal crash in Florida highlights concerns over truck driver qualifications and road safety.
The U.S. Department of Transportation is increasing enforcement of federal standards, including English language proficiency for drivers.
The egregious crash in Florida that destroyed three innocent lives and grabbed national attention lays bare why we need a surge in enforcement to ensure bad actors do not jeopardize the safety of our nation’s highways.
It is exactly why the nation’s truck driver shortage is not about numbers. It’s about qualifications.
America doesn’t lack people who seek commercial driver’s licenses (CDL). What we lack are qualified drivers who meet the high standards of professionalism and safety that our industry expects and the law demands.
Qualified means you can speak English, read road signs, understand safety rules and respect our laws. Qualified means you’re not abusing alcohol or using drugs. Qualified means you earned your CDL the right way — not through a rubber-stamp process in some state that looks the other way.
While investigations continue, it appears the driver responsible for last month’s tragedy in Florida failed several of those tests. That’s why the recent announcement from U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy matters. By putting states that refuse to enforce the federal English Language Proficiency requirement on notice, USDOT is doing what’s necessary to protect the motoring public.
USDOT is enforcing the federal English Language Proficiency requirement. It’s the right think to do.
Safety regulations only work when they are consistently enforced. And if you can’t read road signs in America, you can’t drive a truck in America. Period.
The Trump Administration’s decision to suspend visas for foreign truck drivers is a prudent step while audits and investigations are conducted.
Until we know where breakdowns in the system are happening, adding more drivers into a flawed oversight process only increases the risk to the motoring public. We will not tolerate states playing by their own rules. The safety of the motoring public is not negotiable.
We need to ensure all federal regulations are evenly enforced by every state. That includes entry-level driver training standards so that new entrants to the industry can’t skirt the base requirements of the job. Too many shady training providers across the nation are operating CDL mills, foregoing federally required curriculum to fast-track prospective drivers for a fee. These fraudulent entities put profit over safety and need to be shut down immediately.
The overwhelming majority of America’s 3.5 million professional truck drivers take immense pride in their work. They meet every requirement, every day, and they move our economy forward with skill and responsibility. But when unqualified drivers are allowed behind the wheel, they tarnish the reputation of the entire industry and undermine public trust.
America runs on trucking, and trucking only runs safely when qualified professionals are behind the wheel.
Lowering the bar doesn’t just threaten freight. It threatens lives.
Chris Spear is the president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations.