(The Center Square) – Families on the road have no control over failed testing by CDL drivers, but they live with the consequences, a North Carolina congressman says.
Filed nearly a month ago amidst the federal government shutdown and with the chamber away from Washington, the SAFE Drivers Act remains parked in the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in the U.S. House of Representatives. Same as the Non-Domiciled CDL Integrity Act filed Oct. 3 by another congressman from the Tarheel State.
Each is among five proposals seeking to enhance safety on America’s highways.
“A driver failed his CDL exam 10 times, failed his English test, had expired paperwork, and still kept a commercial license because states treat basic safety rules like suggestions,” said U.S. Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C., the freshman in Washington and once Green Beret in Afghanistan. “Families on the road have no control over that, but they live with the consequences. A court blocking the government from tightening these standards means the same gaps remain in place, and the people counting on a safe highway system are the ones left exposed.”
Harrigan filed SAFE Drivers Act, or House Resolution 5800. Rep. David Rouzer, R-N.C., filed Non-Domiciled CDL Integrity Act (HR5688).
A Sept. 26 rule change announced by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy came between the spotlights of triple-fatal crashes involving 18-wheelers in Florida on Aug. 12 and Oct. 21 in California.
Last week, a federal appeals court in the District of Columbia on Monday temporarily halted the rule change for non-domiciled commercial learner’s permits and commercial driver’s licenses. Enforcement of the rule is on hold while the merits of motions are being judged; in other words, the stay is not reflective of those merits.
That stymies Rouzer’s bill that has drawn the support of the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association and plenty of Republican lawmakers.
“This legislation ensures only individuals with lawful immigration status and a legitimate reason to operate commercial vehicles in the U.S. are entrusted with CDLs,” Rouzer said. “We’re closing dangerous loopholes and restoring accountability. We must never, under any circumstance, jeopardize public safety by allowing those here illegally to get behind the wheel of a big rig.”
The SAFE Drivers Act includes the acronym for Standardized Assessment for Fluency in English for Drivers Act.
“It creates,” Harrigan said, “one clear national requirement so every driver meets the same baseline, and every family can trust the standards that are supposed to protect them.”
In addition to the bills authored by North Carolinians, New Jersey Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew has filed No CDLs for Illegals Act (House Resolution 5863); Texas Republican Rep. Beth Van Duyne has filed Protecting America’s Roads Act (HR5670); and Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton has filed the Secure Commercial Driver Licensing Act (Senate Bill 3013).
The bills of Van Drew and Van Duyne are with those of Harrigan and Rouzer in the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Cotton’s bill since Oct. 16 has been in the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
