A new bill in Congress could make truck drivers take an English language test before getting a CDL. This comes after recent crashes involving drivers who did not meet language or citizenship rules.
The details: Rep. Pat Harrigan from North Carolina introduced the SAFE Drivers Act on Wednesday. The bill would mean every state has to give the same English test to anyone applying for a commercial license.
- If a state does not follow the rule, the Secretary of Transportation could cut funding for their driving programs.
- States would have to report how many drivers pass or fail these tests each year.
Why now? The push comes after two deadly crashes in Florida and California. In each case, drivers who had received CDLs in California were accused of causing fatal wrecks after entering the U.S. illegally. One was also charged with driving under the influence.
Some lawmakers said the current system let people “skirt language requirements.” Harrigan stated, "If you can't read 'bridge out ahead' or communicate with a state trooper at a crash scene, you have no business driving an 80,000-pound truck on American highways."
By the numbers: The U.S. already has a rule that drivers must speak English, but there is no nationwide test. That means some states hand out CDLs even if drivers can't read road signs in English, reported Fox News.
- Earlier this year, the U.S. government withheld $40 million from California for not enforcing these rules.
- The Department of Transportation has also pulled thousands of truckers out of service for language violations.
It is not clear when or if the bill will come up for a vote, as Congress is stuck in a government funding standoff.