A recently launched online tool is targeting carriers with drivers who are not authorized to operate a commercial motor vehicle or are not legally in the U.S.
On Tuesday, Feb. 10, Senator Jim Banks, R-Ind., announced the rollout of the TruckSafe Tipline. The lawmaker said the newly implemented online form will serve as a way for truckers and others in the industry to “share concerns about carriers employing or contracting with drivers who are not legally in the United States, who are not authorized to drive a truck, or who cannot meet required English-language safety standards.”
According to a press release from the Senator’s office, reports to the tip line will be reviewed and shared with the U.S. Department of Transportation and its Office of Inspector General to “help protect roadway safety and ensure a fair, lawful trucking industry.”
“Indiana is the Crossroads of America and Hoosiers are getting killed because drivers who shouldn’t be here in the first place are behind the wheel,” Banks said in a statement. “If you’re driving a truck on our roads, you need to be legal, you need to be able to read traffic signs, and you need to follow the law.”
The launch of the TruckSafe Tipline comes one week after a commercial motor vehicle crash in Indiana that killed four people.
The crash occurred on Tuesday, Feb. 3, on Indiana state Route 67 and involved 30-year-old Bekzhan Beishekeev, who received a non-domiciled CDL in Pennsylvania. Beishekeev was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers on Thursday, Feb. 5, and is expected to remain in custody pending immigration proceedings.
According to a report from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Beishekeev was traveling eastbound on the state highway when he allegedly failed to brake for a slowed semi-truck in front of him. DHS said initial reports from police were that Beishekeev’s truck swerved into the westbound lane and collided with a van that was carrying as many as 15 passengers. Four people were killed in the crash, which is being investigated by the Jay County Sheriff’s Department and the Jay County Coroner’s Office.
In his announcement, Banks also pointed to a pair of fatal crashes on the state’s roadways – one in November 2025 and the other in October 2025 – as a driving force behind the creation of the reporting tool. In both instances, the drivers at fault were found to be in the country illegally.
The state has also taken steps towards strengthening its licensing processes for commercial motor vehicle operators.
Earlier this month, Indiana House lawmakers voted 90-3 to pass a bill tightening English proficiency rules for truck drivers. Introduced by Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie, HB1200 seeks to require commercial driver’s license applicants to “demonstrate sufficient proficiency of the English language to operate a commercial motor vehicle.”
“(The bill) makes it very clear that if you’re going to have a CDL in the state of Indiana, and apply for a CDL in the state of Indiana, that you will be English proficient,” Pressel said. “You will be able to speak the language. You will be able to read the signs, and you will have to take the test that way.” LL
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