In a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Monday, Aug. 18, OOIDA called for the immediate suspension of states’ ability to issue non-domiciled CDLs.
“Due to ongoing safety concerns, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association strongly encourages you to immediately suspend states’ authority to issue non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses for interstate commerce,” the Association wrote in comments signed by President Todd Spencer. “At a minimum, this suspension must remain in place until the U.S. Department of Transportation has completed its review of non-domiciled CDL issuance and implemented appropriate measures to ensure CDLs are only issued to qualified drivers.”
OOIDA said there needs to be a greater barrier to entry for operating a commercial motor vehicle and that the DOT should be looking into how these drivers are being recruited, compensated and treated, as well as the safety records of motor carriers utilizing these CDL drivers.
“Once the audit is complete, U.S. DOT should at a minimum require a thorough review of a non-domiciled applicant’s driving history before they are eligible to receive their license,” OOIDA wrote. “Specifically, there should be a review that encompasses the last 10 years of driving history and includes all types of motor vehicles and all jurisdictions. This would help ensure that non-domiciled applicants face the same level of scrutiny as U.S.-domiciled applicants, who are currently subject to this 10-year review. In short, no one should be getting a CDL if they have an unsafe driving history.”
The letter comes days after a truck crash claimed the lives of three people in Florida.
The crash
According to multiple reports and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, truck driver Harjinder Singh was arrested for three counts of vehicular homicide after a crash last week on the Florida Turnpike. Additionally, state troopers issued an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer after reportedly determining that Singh entered the U.S. illegally in 2018.
The Florida agency said the initial investigation indicated that Singh executed an illegal U-turn that led to a crash with a minivan on Tuesday, Aug. 12 in St. Lucie County. All three occupants of the van died.
“The actions taken by the defendant while operating a commercial tractor-trailer are both shocking and criminal,” Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Executive Director Dave Kerner said in a news release. “Three people lost their lives as a result of his recklessness, and countless friends and family members will experience the pain of their loss forever. Harjinder Singh is in custody on state vehicular homicide charges and immigration violations. He will no longer be able to damage and destroy the lives of Floridians and visitors. At the conclusion of his state charges, he will be deported. The Florida Highway Patrol remains committed to enforcing both state and federal law to ensure that people that are a danger to others face justice behind bars.”
The fatal crash caused many to question how someone who was in the United States illegally was placed in the seat of a commercial motor vehicle. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Singh obtained a CDL in California.
OOIDA letter
The Association also asked the DOT to ensure that motor carriers are complying with safety regulations that keep unsafe drivers off the road and to enhance oversight of new motor carrier applicants before granting operating authority.
“OOIDA appreciates the steps U.S. DOT has already taken to improve safety in the trucking industry under your leadership, but we believe more can be done to prevent bad actors from ever operating on our nation’s highways,” the Association wrote. “We look forward to continuing to work with your department on our shared goals of making our roads safer, while making trucking an appealing and sustainable career for professional drivers.”
Responses to crash
In a post published on the social media platform X, Duffy wrote that there needs to be more scrutiny regarding the distribution of non-domiciled CDLs.
“Joe Biden’s reckless immigration policies allowed many unqualified foreign drivers on our roads who have no business operating a 40-ton truck,” Duffy wrote. “This is only one of the tragic accidents that should never have happened. Our investigators have already uncovered serious red flags in how states are doling out these CDLs. We’ll have more to share in the coming weeks.”
