WASHINGTON — New legislation aimed at cracking down on truck drivers’ language skills would turn all interstate highway weigh stations into English proficiency checkpoints.
The Weigh station Enforcement to Intercept and Guard Highways (WEIGH) Act, introduced on Monday by U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., requires that all weigh stations along interstate highways review the Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs) of truckers “for irregularities” according to a press release, while also verifying the driver’s English language proficiency.
“The failure of states to enforce basic and commonsense requirements for truckers is putting every American motorist at risk,” Donalds said in a statement.
“Safety must be the standard, not the exception, and on Capitol Hill I’m fighting to ensure that the American people are put first every step of the way. The elimination of these threats to the American people is non-negotiable.”
The bill empowers the U.S. Department of Transportation to use interstate weigh stations to enforce President Trump’s executive order “Enforcing Commonsense Rules of the Road for America’s Truck Drivers,” issued in April, which makes failing English proficiency an out-of- service violation for truck drivers.
Donalds’ legislation follows last month’s fatal crash resulting from a truck driver attempting an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike. The driver of the truck failed a post-crash English proficiency exam.
“The Florida Department of Agriculture is proud to be a force multiplier for President Trump’s comprehensive border security effort,” commented Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson, in supporting Donalds’ bill.
“If you drive a truck through our interdiction stations, you’re prepared for us to check your load for bugs and drugs. We’ll also call if a driver cannot communicate in the English language. If you can’t read our signs, you shouldn’t be on our roads.”
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