Tag Archives: commercial driver’s license (CDL)

Again?

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On Sunday, The Epoch Times posted an article about a recent bus accident on Interstate 95 in Virginia.

The article reports:

A crash in Virginia that killed five people last week involved a non-English-speaking driver of a bus who obtained a commercial license in New York state, U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy said on Sunday.

Among those killed were a 13-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy, officials said, adding that the driver of the bus slammed into stopped traffic on Interstate 95 in Virginia. The driver, Jing S. Dong of Staten Island, was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, and additional charges are likely, Virginia State Police said.

The prosecutor’s office in Stafford County, Virginia, said Dong was arrested and would be in custody while he is treated for his injuries at a hospital.

Police officials confirmed that the driver of the bus, a man originally from China who became a U.S. citizen, “doesn’t speak English,” said Duffy in a May 29 post on X.

“He received his commercial drivers license from New York State in 2024. Unacceptable. This is exactly why we are holding states’ accountable, enforcing the rules of the road, and cracking down on drivers who can’t speak English,” Duffy wrote. “If you can’t be properly trained, read our road signs, or communicate with law enforcement, you have no business driving a bus.”

The article notes:

Federal law requires the drivers of commercial vehicles to be able to speak and read English well enough to perform their job safely, according to the White House.

The article concludes:

Earlier this month, Duffy signed an order announcing new guidelines that truck drivers must meet the federal requirements to understand English well enough to understand road signs and be able to communicate with law enforcement officials.

A number of states have allowed drivers to take their license tests in other languages even though they are required to demonstrate English proficiency. California offered tests in 20 other languages.

American road signs are in English. If someone cannot speak or read English, they should not have a driver’s license–commercial or otherwise.

Keeping America’s Roads Safer

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On Wednesday, The Post Millennial posted an article about changes being made to the Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) program in America.

The article reports:

Roughly 200,000 immigrant truck drivers in the United States are set to lose their commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) this week after a new Trump administration rule went into effect Monday to keep illegal immigrants off the roads.

Under the rule, non-citizens, including asylum seekers, refugees, and recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), will no longer be eligible to obtain CDLs, even if they are legally authorized to work in the United States. Those who already hold licenses will not be able to renew them as they expire. Federal data indicates that about 200,000 immigrants currently hold CDLs, accounting for roughly 5 percent of all commercial truck drivers nationwide.

Frankly, I think they are overreacting on this. If someone is legally authorized to work here and speaks English well enough to understand road signs and instructions from law enforcement, I have no problem with them obtaining a license.

The article concludes:

In Washington state, another illegal immigrant truck driver was arrested following a deadly crash in which his tractor-trailer slammed into stopped traffic, killing a 29-year-old man. Authorities said the driver made no attempt to brake and had allegedly falsified his electronic driving logs. Due to sanctuary state laws, he was released.

The issue has also raised concerns about how some drivers obtained licenses in the first place. Washington state officials acknowledged that nearly 700 commercial driver’s licenses were mistakenly issued over seven years to non-citizens who did not qualify.

During his State of the Union address, President Donald Trump called on lawmakers to pass legislation further restricting access to commercial licenses for immigrants. The following day, Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) introduced a bill that would go even further than the administration’s rule by immediately revoking existing CDLs from migrants in the affected categories, rather than allowing them to expire over time.

Making Our Roads Safer

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On Tuesday, The Gateway Pundit reported:

Secretary Kristi Noem announced that a joint 287(g) operation between ICE and the Indiana State Police resulted in the arrest of 223 illegal aliens along Indiana highways near the Illinois border, including 146 truck drivers. The operation, conducted in Northwest Indiana as part of Chicago-based Operation Midway Blitz, targeted individuals involved in offenses including DUI, drug trafficking, burglary, assault, child abuse, domestic battery, prostitution, and fraud. More than 40 of those arrested had been issued commercial driver’s licenses, primarily from Illinois, California, and New York.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has also conducted roadside enforcement actions in multiple states, including New York, detaining drivers holding valid commercial licenses issued by other states. Federal and state officials said these operations were intended to address public safety risks associated with illegal aliens operating commercial vehicles and cited recent fatal crashes as justification for coordinated enforcement, particularly in and around sanctuary jurisdictions.

The enforcement actions followed federal audits that identified widespread CDL fraud and improper issuance practices across multiple states. Federal officials estimate that as many as 130,000 undocumented truck drivers may be operating in the United States, with tens of thousands believed to have obtained licenses through illegitimate means.

The article concludes:

Multiple bribery and test-taking fraud schemes have also been prosecuted nationwide, involving DMV employees, trucking school owners, and professional test-takers. In California, a scheme involving multiple trucking schools and DMV employees led to 20 convictions after hundreds of commercial driver’s licenses were issued to applicants who had not taken or passed required tests. School owners acted as brokers, collecting payments and bribing DMV employees to enter false passing results into state databases.

In Massachusetts, former State Police Sergeant Gary Cederquist was convicted on 48 counts for providing false passing scores to 40 CDL applicants in exchange for bribes, including cases of Fiji Water, Arizona Iced Tea, and Swedish Fish. Prosecutors said Cederquist and his co-conspirators used the term “golden handshake” to mark applicants who would automatically pass, even if they failed or skipped the skills test.

Again, I am looking for some orange jump suits!

Another Serious Vehicle Accident Caused By A Non-English-Speaking Driver

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America has a problem right now with people who cannot speak English getting Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDL’s). Not being able to read road signs or understand verbal commends impacts safety conditions on American roads.

On Thursday, Breitbart reported:

A Tennessee truck driver is dead after a Chinese national, who is not proficient in English and has a non-domiciled New York commercial driver’s license (CDL), allegedly crashed a tour bus — now federal transportation officials are investigating how he was cleared to drive.

“A Chinese national driving a motorcoach slammed into a vehicle in Tennessee, killing an individual and causing a major traffic jam this week,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote in a post on social media. “And to make matters worse: this driver had a non-domiciled CDL from NY and couldn’t speak English!”

Earlier this week, Huang Yisong, a 54-year-old Chinese national, allegedly slammed a tour bus he was driving into the rear of a tractor-trailer while watching videos on his cell phone, the New York Post reported. Yisong failed an English-proficiency test administered by Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers. His immigration status is not clear at this time.

The State of New York issued a non-domiciled CDL to Yisong.

“It’s outrageous,” a Department of Transportation spokesperson told the Post. “Our team is already investigating New York’s opaque licensing practices that enable dangerous, foreign drivers to kill innocent Americans.”

This is a safety issue and needs to addresses immediately.

The article notes:

However, earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order requiring that trukers be proficient in English, Breitbart’s Nick Gilbertson reported in April.

“President Trump believes that English is a non-negotiable safety requirement for professional drivers, as they should be able to read and understand traffic signs, communicate with traffic safety officers, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station personnel, and provide and receive feedback and directions in English,” the document notes.

Under the anticipated order, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy will be directed “to rescind and replace guidance to strengthen inspection procedures for compliance with English proficiency requirements,” per the White House document.

This isn’t an immigration issue–it’s a safety issue.

Bringing Safety To Our Roadways

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On Saturday, Breitbart posted an article detailing some recent efforts by federal and state authorities to keep our roads safe.

The article reports:

Federal and state authorities arrested nearly 250 foreign commercial truck drivers in November alone, warning that cartel operatives and foreign nationals are exploiting America’s commercial driver licensing system to infiltrate freight corridors and endanger national security.

A nationwide crackdown on foreign drivers with Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDL) led to the apprehension of nearly 250 drivers in Arizona, Indiana, Wyoming, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and even New York and California. The federally led operation followed orders from President Donald Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to remove these often-dangerous drivers from American highways. Many of the drivers were found to be illegally present in the United States.

The article cites one example of the national security risk:

An example of the potential national security threat revealed itself with the arrest in Kansas on November 9 of an Uzbek national who is a member of a known terrorist organization, Breitbart’s John Binder reported. ICE agents arrested 31-year-old illegal alien Akhror Bozorov as he operated a commercial vehicle with a Pennsylvania-issued CDL. The driver, wanted in his home country of Uzbekistan for terrorist activities, entered the U.S. illegally in February 2023 and was released into the U.S. by the Biden administration.

“Not only was Akhror Bozorov — a wanted terrorist — released into the country by the Biden administration, but he was he was also given a commercial driver’s license by Governor Shapiro’s Pennsylvania,” Department of Homeland Security’s Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.

“This should go without saying, but terrorist illegal aliens should not be operating 18-wheelers on America’s highways,” McLaughlin said. “Biden and Mayorkas allowed countless terrorists to come into our country. President Trump and Secretary Noem unleashed ICE to target these national security threats.”

The article concludes:

Despite federal judges blocking parts of Trump’s emergency rule, enforcement raids are expanding nationwide. DHS officials say the message is clear: foreign CDL drivers are now viewed as a frontline national security threat.

A terrorist can do a lot of damage with a truck.

We Need To Make Our Roads Safer

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On November 20, Townhall posted an article about another fatal accident involving an illegal immigrant driving a semi truck. This is getting old.

The article reports:

Over the weekend, yet another illegal immigrant with a commercial driver’s license issued by the State of New York caused a multi-car collision resulting in the death of an Indiana National Guardsman. The illegal, Georgian national Goderdzi Gujabidze, 56, has since been arrested.

Gujabidze was driving an 18-wheeler in Boone County, Indiana, when he collided with a military Humvee and another vehicle. Indiana National Guardsman Terry Frye died on the scene, and three others were hospitalized.

When authorities attempted to communicate with Gujabidze, they encountered a “language barrier” that required “a translator.”

Officials discovered that the illegal immigrant had secured a non-domiciled Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) in New York after the Biden administration waved him across the border in San Luis, Arizona, in 2022.

The article concludes:

The Department of Transportation, led by Sean Duffy, initiated an audit of state records for CDL holders. California alone was found to have illegally issued 17,000 CDLs to foreigners. 

“What our team has discovered should disturb and anger every American,” Secretary Duffy said recently. “Licenses to operate a massive, 80,000-pound truck are being issued to dangerous foreign drivers — often times illegally. This is a direct threat to the safety of every family on the road, and I won’t stand for it. Today’s actions will prevent unsafe foreign drivers from renewing their license and hold states accountable to immediately invalidate improperly issued licenses.”

The federal highway funds allocated to the states that are issuing CDL’s to illegals need to be suspended until the practice is stopped. Unfortunately, I believe this move has been blocked by the courts.