As part of an attempt to make sure that truck drivers are in the United States legally and following English-proficiency regulations, a Florida Congressman has introduced a bill that would utilize weigh stations for CDL enforcement.
Introduction of the bill follows a fatal crash involving a tractor-trailer and a minivan on Aug. 12 in St. Lucie, Fla. All three of the van’s occupants were killed in the crash. The initial investigation indicated that truck driver Harjinder Singh executed an illegal U-turn that led to the crash. Singh was arrested for three counts of vehicular homicide. The crash prompted questions about whether Singh should have been operating a commercial motor vehicle in the United States and whether he met English-proficiency standards.
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., introduced the Weigh Station Enforcement to Intercept and Guard Highways (WEIGH) Act on Sept. 8.
HR5177 would direct the U.S. Department of Transportation to ensure that states enforce English-proficiency requirements and review commercial driver’s licenses for irregularities during checks at weigh stations.
“The failure of states to enforce basic and commonsense requirements for truckers is putting every American motorist at risk,” Donalds said in a news release. “At the state level, Gov. (Ron) DeSantis and Commissioner (Wilton) Simpson have taken action to protect Floridians, but it’s imperative that we expand this effort nationwide. Under my WEIGH Act, all weigh stations along interstate highways will be required to enforce President Trump’s executive order to review commercial driver licenses for irregularities and verify the English language proficiency of truckers. Safety must be the standard, not the exception, and on Capitol Hill, I’m fighting to ensure that the American people are put first every step of the way. The elimination of these threats to the American people is non-negotiable.”
According to Donalds’ news release, states that fail to comply with enforcement requirements at weigh stations would risk revocation of their CDL program and federal highway dollars.
In August, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy threatened to pull funding from Washington, California and New Mexico if they didn’t begin enforcing English-proficiency requirements for truck drivers. LL
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