A bill moving through the Arkansas House seeks to broaden enforcement on truck drivers who are not in compliance with the English language proficiency regulation for truck drivers.
Sponsored by Rep. Wayne Long, R-Bradford, the safety bill would require a commercial vehicle operator to have English language proficiency to operate in the state.
HB1914 classifies an operator to be in violation of the rule if he or she cannot read or speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals in English, to respond to official inquiries or to make entries on reports and records.
First-time offenders would face $500 fines. Repeat offenders would face $1,000 fines.
Long described his legislation to the House Public Transportation Committee as “a very simple bill.”
“Currently, federal law requires a person with a CDL to be proficient in English, but there’s not a state law,” he testified.
Long acknowledged that Arkansas State Police officers do enforce the rule for truck drivers, but he said county and local law enforcement do not.
“County sheriffs and local police departments aren’t able to do anything about the folks they catch that can’t communicate in English,” he said. “It’s a real problem, because if they have an accident, they can’t communicate with authorities what happened. Also, they have trouble maybe reading the signs.”
Long confirmed that enforcement would be focused on traffic stops or wrecks.
“We’re just trying to make sure that nobody gets through the cracks as far as not being able to speak English,” he said.
The House Public Transportation Committee voted to advance the truck driver bill to the full House. If approved there, it would head to the Senate.
Time is short for HB1914 to clear the General Assembly and move to the governor. The legislature is scheduled to adjourn for the year on April 16.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association supports the bill. Because the issue extends beyond the Arkansas border, OOIDA believes it would be better for the federal government to address the issue than for it to be left up to each state.
Cargo theft and tort reform
The English language proficiency bill is the latest effort this year at the Arkansas statehouse to address an issue that is relevant to truck drivers.
In March, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed into law a bill that is intended to slow the rise in cargo theft.
Another new law is described as restoring fairness and transparency in the state’s judicial system. The new rule limits “phantom damages.” LL
More Land Line coverage of Arkansas news is available.
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