- The government is revamping rules for truckers.
- Changes target unqualified foreigners and illegal aliens.
- US closed loopholes that made getting licenses easy.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has issued a final rule designed to stop unqualified foreigners from obtaining licenses to drive commercial trucks and buses. The Trump administration says they’re a “significant safety threat to the driving public” and have caused numerous accidents over the years.
More: Truck Drivers Who Can’t Speak Or Read English Will Be Pulled From The Roads
While the final rule is 212 pages long, the government said it aims to address two critical issues. The first is a “safety gap that allowed State Driver’s Licensing Agencies to issue CDLs to foreign drivers without verifying their driving history.”
As the DOT explained, Americans looking to get a commercial driver’s license are subject to extensive checks that look for accidents, violations, and DUIs. However, states can’t perform the same checks for foreigners and illegal immigrants.
The government said this “loophole allowed individuals with dangerous driving histories to obtain a trucking license simply by presenting an Employment Authorization Document (EAD), which does not screen for transportation safety.”
Tens of Thousands Affected
The second issue involves reliance on the aforementioned EADs, which “resulted in more than 30 states illegally issuing tens of thousands of licenses to ineligible drivers.”
To address these problems, the final rule limits eligibility to H-2A, H-2B, and E-2 nonimmigrant status holders, who undergo “enhanced interagency vetting.” EADs will also no longer be accepted as proof of eligibility as applicants must now present an unexpired foreign passport as well as Form I-94 documentation.
States also have to run applicants through the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements system to confirm their lawful immigration status.
The rule will go into effect 30 days after it’s published in the Federal Register. The government hopes this will save lives as they noted 30 people were killed last year in accidents caused by non-domiciled drivers, who would be ineligible to get a license under the new scheme.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, “For far too long, America has allowed dangerous foreign drivers to abuse our truck licensing systems – wreaking havoc on our roadways.” He added the safety loophole closes today as “unqualified foreign drivers will be unable to get a license to operate an 80,000-pound big rig.”
The impacts remain to be seen, but the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association cheered the move as President Todd Spencer said “For too long, loopholes in this program have allowed unqualified drivers onto our highways, putting professional truckers and the motoring public at risk. This final rule is a major step toward safer roads, stronger accountability, and a more professional trucking industry.”