A recent truck crash that claimed the lives of three people has prompted questions regarding the way non-domiciled CDLs are issued.
The Aug. 12 crash on the Florida Turnpike led to the arrest of truck driver Harjinder Singh for three counts of vehicular homicide. According to Florida officials, the initial investigation indicated that Singh executed an illegal U-turn that led to a crash with a minivan in St. Lucie County. All three occupants of the van died.
The U.S. Department of Transportation began investigations into how Singh received a commercial driver’s license and reported that the driver failed an English language proficiency assessment administered by FMCSA officials after the crash. Additionally, FMCSA’s SAFER website shows that Singh’s company – White Hawk Carriers based in Ceres, Calif. – has an out-of-service rate of 13.4%. That’s more than twice the national average.
Earlier this week, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association asked the U.S. DOT to take action regarding the use of non-domiciled CDLs. Now, the trade group representing small-business truckers is reaching out to individual states.
Calling for everyone to put safety first, OOIDA asked the governors of 43 states to “immediately suspend the issuance of non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses.”
“OOIDA has been sounding the alarm about safety concerns involving non-domiciled CDLs, and until questions surrounding this program are addressed, we are asking that you suspend your state’s issuance of these licenses entirely,” the Association wrote in its letter to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. “While we understand that the driver in the Fort Pierce crash was not licensed by your state, we are making the same request of all governors in states that currently issue non-domiciled CDLs. The safety of America’s truckers and the motoring public should not be a partisan issue.”
A version of the letter was sent to governors nationwide on Thursday, Aug. 21. All of the letters pointed to “safety loopholes” in the non-domiciled CDL process.
For example, OOIDA pointed out that U.S. citizens applying for a CDL are required to supply 10 years’ worth of their motor vehicle history for all states where they have been licensed. Prospective employers are required to obtain three years of driving history from an applicant, which would include records of any disqualifying offenses.
“While we recognize that U.S. DOT is pursuing safety measures in the best interest of truckers and all highway users, they may also be subject to constraints limiting how quickly they can change regulations that date back decades,” the Association wrote. “Given the continuing and pressing safety concerns with the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs, we believe an urgent ‘all-hands-on-deck’ approach is appropriate at all levels of government. We hope you recognize and share our sense of urgency on this matter.”
On Monday, Aug. 18, OOIDA wrote a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, asking him to immediately suspend states’ authority to issue non-domiciled CDLs for interstate commerce.
OOIDA said there needs to be a greater barrier to entry for operating a commercial motor vehicle and that the DOT should be looking into how these drivers are being recruited, compensated and treated, as well as into the safety records of motor carriers utilizing these CDL drivers.
“By cracking down on carriers skirting these requirements, U.S. DOT can immediately remove unsafe drivers and operations from the road,” OOIDA wrote. LL
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