Copyright Newsweek
Last week, millions of Americans across the country were alarmed by a viral video showing a U.S. truck driver confronting a foreign driver barreling down the wrong side of the highway. On the very same day, two crashes in two different states, each involving illegal aliens behind the wheel of commercial vehicles, left four people dead and six more injured. One of those drivers had been caught and released by the Biden administration in 2022. These are not isolated incidents. Across America, there have been multiple fatal crashes involving drivers who couldn’t understand basic English road signs. Each one of those tragedies could have been prevented. Thanks to President Donald Trump’s swift action to repair Joe Biden’s border crisis that allowed 6.7 million illegal aliens into our country, we’ve made a historic pivot to permanently secure our borders. Yet, an internal safety crisis remains on our highways. Too many foreign drivers—including illegal aliens from sanctuary states—are somehow obtaining commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) without demonstrating basic English proficiency. Let’s be clear: If you can’t read a “Stop,” “Yield,” or “Detour” sign, you shouldn’t be operating an 80,000-pound vehicle on an American highway. The consequences aren’t coincidental. When a driver can’t communicate with law enforcement or understand a dispatcher’s instructions, it puts every family on the road in danger. Common sense tells us that if you can’t read the road, you shouldn’t be on the road. That is why I introduced the Commercial Motor Vehicle English Proficiency Act. This bill would require all CDL applicants to pass an English language test before receiving a license and prevent states from offering the test in other languages—ensuring that every commercial driver can safely navigate, respond to law enforcement and follow U.S. road standards. The legislation would close loopholes that have allowed some states, especially those with sanctuary city policies, to issue commercial driver’s licenses to individuals who are unable to read and speak English. Just this August, a fatal U-turn crash in Florida made by an illegal alien driving a commercial truck took three lives. It was later revealed that the individual who caused the crash failed the current CDL test 10 times within two months before being issued one by the state of California. While Democrats may have sought to compromise our system, under Republican leadership, we remain a nation of laws. The rules that keep Americans safe on our roads are not optional—they are essential to public safety—and they will continue to be enforced without exception. President Donald Trump and Secretary Sean Duffy recognized this danger early. Under their leadership, the administration strengthened enforcement around CDL standards and cracked down on English requirements for commercial drivers. These actions have already saved countless lives. Through joint operations with state law enforcement, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have already arrested dozens of unqualified commercial drivers operating illegally in the United States. But executive action can only go so far. What one administration enforces, another can undo. Which is why Congress must act now—to make these standards permanent law and close dangerous loopholes once and for all. No parent should lose a child because a truck driver couldn’t read a sign or follow directions in English. Our highways are a vital part of the American economy, and the men and women who drive our trucks are the backbone of that system. America’s roads should be safe, and Americans should have confidence that those behind the wheel are here legally, speak our language and meet our standards. This isn’t about politics or prejudice—it’s about safety, accountability and common sense. Dr. Roger Marshall is a physician, father and U.S. senator for Kansas. A fifth-generation farm kid from Butler County, he practiced medicine in Great Bend for over 25 years before bringing his experience in health care and small business to the U.S. Senate. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
