Republican lawmakers are advocating for a bill that would permit states to issue licenses to immigrants who wish to drive large commercial vehicles, such as 18-wheeler trucks.
This move comes at a time when President Donald Trump's deputies are working to reduce the sizable population of migrant truck drivers brought in under President Joe Biden's administration, a move that has reportedly led to a decrease in wages for American truck drivers and their families.
According to Breitbart, the bill, spearheaded by Rep. David Rouzer (R-NC), is being promoted as a means to limit the presence of foreign truck drivers on U.S. roads. However, the bill's language clearly allows state officials to grant Commercial Drivers Licenses (CDLs) to immigrants approved by a federal Secretary of State.
Rouzer's press statement explains that "The Non-Domiciled CDL Integrity Act" is designed to restrict foreign CDLs, stating, "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. We must never, under any circumstance, jeopardize public safety by allowing those here illegally to get behind the wheel of a big rig."
The bill has garnered support from several other representatives, including Reps. Dusty Johnson (D-SD), Eric Crawford (R-AR), Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), Buddy Carter (R-GA), Troy Hehls (R-TX), Mike Ezell (R-MS), James Baird (R-IN), Chuck Edwards (R-NC), and Mike Bost (R-IL). However, it has also drawn criticism from trucking advocates.
Ike Stephens, the host of the Bonehead Truckers show, has been vocal in his opposition to the bill, stating, "This basically says were allowing [foreign] truck drivers who have a visa to be a truck driver here . This bill has got to go. So what do we do about it?. Well, first of all, we call our Representatives, we email them, we tweet them on X. We annoy the crap out of them until they get the idea that truck drivers, American truck drivers, do not support this, and the reason why is because this does not help our safety and it does not help our industry. We, the American Truck drivers, are the ones who will be the victim of this, because people that come into this country and become a truck driver, theyre taking American jobs."
In response to Stephens' objections, Rouzer's office stated, "This bill, developed directly with the Trump Administration, would eliminate nearly 98% of Non-Domiciled CDL issuance moving forward (of the estimated 200,000 Non-Domiciled CDL drivers out there, approximately 195,000 would have been ineligible under this legislation). Illegal immigrants, including those who have attained work authorizations from states, would be ineligible under this legislation."
The bill does not prohibit the issuance of CDLs to several categories of visa migrants. It states, "Only those with H2A, H2B, and E2 visas would be eligible under this legislation, leaving approximately only 5,000 non-domicile drivers nationwide."
Under Biden's administration, approximately 10 million immigrants were admitted through the southern border, with millions more entering via the nation's airports. Many of these immigrants have used lenient state laws to obtain CDLs and send money back to their families in their home countries, such as India, Mexico, Eastern Europe, and Africa. This influx of foreign truck drivers has reportedly led to a decrease in wages for American truck drivers and their families, disrupted U.S. transport networks, and resulted in at least 12 fatalities on U.S. roads.
Trump's Department of Transportation has reinstated the enforcement of long-standing regulations and is removing many migrant drivers from the highways. This sudden enforcement is having a significant impact on companies that employ cheap migrant labor and is leading to an increase in per-mile rates for some American drivers in the "spot" delivery market.
Retailers argue that wage increases for drivers will lead to inflation. However, the additional costs could potentially be offset by American truckers' ability to reduce the substantial costs associated with the growing number of trucking accidents, delays, fraud, crimes, deaths, and cargo thefts facilitated by foreign operators in the United States.
The federal enforcement is compelling retailers and brokers to hire professional American drivers with good safety, honesty, and on-time delivery records. However, many states continue to ignore the influx of dangerous illegal migrant drivers on their highways, likely due to pressure from trucking companies and major retailers, such as Amazon and Walmart.
Trump's revitalization of the American trucking sector is likely to face significant opposition from establishment lobbies, as wage increases for drivers could potentially lead to lower stock prices for investors.
Rouzer's website encourages constituents to share their opinions, ideas, suggestions, and comments on important issues, providing several ways to contact him and his staff.
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