When someone has bypassed our immigration laws and is operating an 80,000-pound commercial vehicle but cannot read our road signs, it’s a public safety issue. But unfortunately, this has happened too many times. The facts are alarming: in one recent case, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) found more than 25 percent of non-domiciled CDLs reviewed were improperly issued in California. This can’t continue because we’ve seen how this negligence results in the senseless loss of lives. 

At bare minimum, American taxpayers—who contribute to the construction and maintenance of our roads—deserve to know that the semi-truck driver in the next lane has been vetted, trained, and is legally authorized to be driving...and can read the signs that dictate the rules of the road. Far too often, this hasn’t been the case, which is why the House Committee on Homeland Security held a hearing today to examine systemic failures in the issuance of non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs). 

I’m proud that St. Lucie County Sheriff Richard DelToro, Jr. traveled to Washington to testify during that hearing. Sheriff DelToro understands the threats these drivers pose firsthand, and that’s an important perspective for lawmakers to hear. 

To add insult to injury, these drivers are often doing jobs that could be filled by qualified Americans but oftentimes bureaucratic red tape gets in the way. That’s why I introduced the Ceasing Age-Based Trucking Restrictions (CAB) Act. While many states - including Florida - allow truckers between the ages of 18 to 20 to transport goods within the state lines, any transportation across the state boundaries requires that the trucker is at least 21 years old.  Due to an oversight in the current law, picking up goods from a port is interpreted as interstate transportation, even if it is within the state, and therefore all drivers must be over 21 to pick up cargo coming off of ships.  That means a 20-year-old with a commercial driver’s license could not pick up a shipment at the Port of Palm Beach and deliver it to a destination in Stuart, but that same driver could transport cargo from Tallahassee all the way to Miami. This is an easy fix that could get more qualified drivers safely on the road. 

This is one instance where public safety and economic security go hand in hand. I’ll continue working to make sure our highways are safe, our laws are enforced, and American workers come first.