Arizona lawmakers are advancing a bill that would significantly expand state-level authority over commercial driver enforcement, including allowing police to seize trucks owned by companies hiring undocumented drivers.
House Bill 2345, sponsored by Rep. David Livingston, would elevate use of a fake commercial driver’s license (CDL) to a felony and authorize law enforcement to impound and auction commercial vehicles tied to violations.
Livingston told the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday the bill is deliberately narrow and aimed at a “very, very small group of people that should not be driving in Arizona 18-wheelers.”
“It’s undocumented people with illegal licenses,” Livingston said. “Everybody that’s a citizen, no effect at all. Everybody that has a legal CDL, no effect at all. So it’s a very, very narrow focus.”
Livingston framed the proposal as a response to uneven enforcement across state lines, arguing that Arizona is left dealing with drivers licensed elsewhere who may not meet federal standards.
“There’s more problems with people getting licenses in other states and then driving through Arizona than Arizona companies doing this,” he said. “Those are the bad actors that I’m most concerned about.”
That frustration mirrors broader state concerns about how English-language proficiency (ELP) rules are applied. While federal law requires truck drivers to read and speak English, enforcement has largely occurred at the roadside, with limited follow-through once drivers or carriers cross into other jurisdictions.
Committee members directly raised those concerns during the hearing. Rep. Teresa Martinez asked whether Arizona could realistically enforce federal qualification standards when CDLs are issued elsewhere and presumed valid.
“How do we distinguish between a legal license and a false license when we have states around this country…giving licenses that are presumed to be legal?” Martinez asked.
Tony Bradley, president and CEO of the Arizona Trucking Association, said that inconsistency — not a lack of laws — is the core problem, particularly around English-language proficiency and non-domiciled CDLs.
“We nationalized the CDL program to make sure we had uniformity across the United States,” Bradley told the committee. “We can’t have a patchwork of rules from state to state.”
Bradley told lawmakers Arizona has already taken steps to ensure its own licensing and ELP standards are properly enforced, while other states have not.
“Each state is responsible for their own CDL program,” he said, pointing specifically to failures elsewhere. “California failed us all.”
The bill reflects growing frustration among states with what they view as inconsistent federal oversight of driver qualifications — particularly English-language proficiency, Livingston said.
“It’s not an easy fix. This is a national problem,” Livingston said during the Jan. 28 hearing. “But the federal government also needs to step up here and do more. In the meanwhile, local states can take action first and faster.”
Lawmakers in Florida, Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee and Oklahoma have also introduced legislation aimed at cracking down on undocumented truck drivers on their roadways.
HB2345 passed out of the Arizona House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday after lawmakers adopted a two-page amendment clarifying the vehicle forfeiture process. The bill advanced with a 5–3 vote, with one member voting “present.” The bill now moves to the full Arizona House for consideration.
However, Bradley said that HB 2345 risks further fragmenting enforcement by pulling states into areas reserved for federal regulators, including language standards tied to interstate commerce.
“The law is clear: We do not have immigration authority,” Bradley said. “This bill requires immigration authority,” adding that it could jeopardize federal commercial vehicle enforcement funding.
Several lawmakers acknowledged the tension between state frustration and federal preemption. Rep. Mariana Hernandez cited the Supremacy Clause and questioned whether Arizona could legally address English-language proficiency and CDL integrity without overstepping federal authority.
“As interstate commerce, we want uniformity,” Bradley said. “We can’t have our own program that steps outside the line, or again, we risk those federal dollars.”
Livingston agreed the bill would need further revisions but said the debate itself reflects a growing impatience among states tasked with policing safety rules without consistent federal follow-through.
“I do not look at this as an immigration bill. I look at this as a safety bill,” Livingston said. “If it’s not workable, it will not get a third reading vote. But I think we need this topic out there, and we need solutions.”
