Tag Archives: truck drivers

Who Are We Sharing The Road With?

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On Sunday, Red State posted a story about two truckers who were in America illegally and were smuggling drugs.

The article reports:

Indian illegal alien truck drivers aren’t just killing Americans with their reckless driving; they’re running drugs nationwide, too.

Gupreet Singh of Fresno, CA, and Jasveer Singh of Santa Clara, CA were arrested in Putnam County, Indiana on Saturday on a charge of dealing narcotics after over 300 pounds of cocaine were found in the sleeper berth of the semi tractor-trailer during a routine DOT inspection. Now those both those drugs and the truckers are off the street, and both Mr. Singhs are subject to ICE deportation holds.

…That cocaine is estimated to have a street value of $7 million, and was headed from Joplin, Missouri, to Richmond, Indiana.

According to the Indiana State Police, the investigation and seizure was conducted by a full-time interdiction trooper from the Drug Enforcement Section; ISP Superintendent Anthony Scott said full-time interdiction patrols “work to keep illegal drugs off the road and out of our communities.”

Indiana is also partnering with ICE to keep illegal aliens driving commercial vehicles off the highways. During a joint operation conducted by ISP and ICE last fall in the northwestern part of the state, 223 illegal aliens were arrested, “including 146 truck drivers. Many of those arrested had criminal records such as driving under the influence, assault, child abuse, burglary and drug trafficking, according to the governor’s office.”

It’s great that we caught these two and got them off the streets, but who gave them the drugs to transport? Getting them off the street is helpful, but finding the source of the drugs would be fantastic!

A Much-Needed Safety Measure

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On Monday, The Hill reported that President Trump signed an Executive Order requiring commercial truck drivers in the United States to be proficient in English. This makes a lot of sense. The electronic signs along the side of the road often warn of impending traffic jams or accident scenes that require caution. Truck drivers need to be able to read these signs. Often, at the scene of an accident, law enforcement officers are giving verbal instructions. Truck drivers need to be able to understand these instructions. Requiring truck drivers to be able to understand English makes our highways safer.

The article reports the content of the Executive Order”

“Every day, truckers perform the demanding and dangerous work of transporting the Nation’s goods to businesses, customers, and communities safely, reliably, and efficiently,” the order said.

Trump designated English as the country’s official language in an executive order in March. In his order Monday, the president said proficiency in English should be nonnegotiable for professional drivers.

“They should be able to read and understand traffic signs, communicate with traffic safety, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station officers,” the order said. “Drivers need to provide feedback to their employers and customers and receive related directions in English.”

Under the order, a driver must be able to read and speak English “sufficiently to converse with the general public” to operate a commercial vehicle in the U.S.

“My Administration will enforce the law to protect the safety of American truckers, drivers, passengers, and others, including by upholding the safety enforcement regulations that ensure that anyone behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle is properly qualified and proficient in our national language, English,” the order said.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy will issue a new guidance on English proficiency testing and enforcement policies, according to the order. A violation of the English language proficiency requirement would put a driver “out-of-service,” the order said.

“You might not know, but there’s a lot of communication problems between truckers on the road with federal officials and local officials, as well, which obviously is a public safety risk,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a briefing Monday.

The decision was celebrated by Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA).

will issue a new guidance on English proficiency testing and enforcement policies, according to the order. A violation of the English language proficiency requirement would put a driver “out-of-service,” the order said.

“You might not know, but there’s a lot of communication problems between truckers on the road with federal officials and local officials, as well, which obviously is a public safety risk,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a briefing Monday.

The decision was celebrated by Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA).

This is something that has been needed for a long time. Congress needs to get moving and pass this Executive Order as law.

Actions Have Consequences

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Fox News posted an article today about a statement made by the co-owner of JKC Trucking, Mike Kucharski.

The article reports:

A trucking company owner told Fox News on Wednesday that in order to keep drivers safe, he will not direct services to cities that are pushing to defund the police.

“Our first priority is to support our drivers and their safety when they are on the road,” co-owner of JKC Trucking Mike Kucharski told “Fox & Friends First.”

Kucharski said that defunding the police is a bad idea because drivers carry valuable cargo on the road for weeks.

“Everybody wants to steal this,” Kucharski said.

A soon-to-be-released survey of 258 police departments nationwide shows almost half have had their budgets cut amid calls for police to be defunded despite increases in gun violence and otherwise violent crime in some parts of the country, according to USA Today.

The outlet was first to report that the Police Executive Research Forum publication, which is expected to be released in the coming days, shows cuts in the police budgets are largely being made to training and equipment.

The article also notes:

Kucharski said that his company is also avoiding states pushing to defund the police because his insurance coverage is prone to dissolve.

“Another issue that I am seeing in the future is I have cargo insurance, liability insurance, fiscal damage insurance, and I am very curious how when I renew my contracts at the end of the year, if there is going to be language — if I am going to even have coverage going into these places,” Kucharski said.

“Right now I have coverage going all over domestically. You have to get special coverage for Canada or Mexico or you might have to buy special riders for this on top of everything.”

If you were planning a family trip right now, would you be willing to drive through some of the cities where the police are letting rioters run wild or would you avoid those cities? Why should truck drivers be any different? This will result in shortages of products in cities that defund their police departments. It will be interesting to see how the leaders of those cities attempt to deflect the blame for the consequences of their actions.