A fleet compliance management company has petitioned the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to take steps toward ensuring proof of legal status before a CDL is issued.
In a petition dated Aug. 28, Tennessee-based DOTReady proposed three amendments to existing regulations:
- Reduce the employment history requirement on driver applications to three years.
- Expand the pre-employment screening program to include safety-related termination reporting with a rebuttal process.
- Enhance CDL legal status and identity verification.
The third request was partially prompted by a crash that has dominated the trucking headlines in recent weeks. On Aug. 12 in St. Lucie County, Fla., a minivan crashed into a tractor-trailer driven by 28-year-old Harjinder Singh. All three of the van’s occupants were killed in the crash. The initial investigation indicated that 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. Department of Transportation officials said its preliminary investigation found that Singh was incorrectly issued a full-term CDL by Washington in 2023 before being given a non-domiciled CDL by California in 2024.
Mentioning the crash, DOTReady asked FMCSA to mandate a federal identity verification process integrated with Department of Homeland Security databases for CDL issuance to ensure proof of legal presence and work authorization.
“Gaps in verifying legal status and identity during CDL issuance and employment screening can allow unqualified or undocumented individuals to operate commercial vehicles, posing severe safety risks,” DOTReady Founder and President Tyna Bryan. “For example, a recent fatal crash on Florida’s Turnpike allegedly involved a driver who had entered the U.S. without legal authorization but nonetheless obtained a CDL. This tragic incident highlights the urgent need for stronger federal verification processes to confirm CDL holders’ legal eligibility and qualifications, helping prevent similar crashes.”
Other proposed amendments
Currently, drivers are required to disclose 10 years of employment history. DOTReady believes the period should be reduced to three years to match the requirements for carriers.
Additionally, the company said that expanding the pre-employment screening program would enhance safety, while the rebuttal process would protect drivers’ rights.
The petition has not yet been published in the Federal Register. LL
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