Transportation Secretary’s Reforms Target Trucking Industry Issues

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has intensified his department’s efforts to tackle challenges in the trucking sector by introducing reforms focused on training programs, brokers, electronic logging devices, carriers, and even individual truck drivers.

During a press conference on February 20, Duffy, alongside Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Derek Barrs, highlighted actions already taken to confront safety concerns and unveiled further initiatives aimed at resolving additional industry issues.

Duffy seized the opportunity to criticize the Biden administration’s immigration policies, which he claims facilitate illegal entry into the U.S. and enable immigrants to become truck drivers. He pointed out that many immigrants are certified through fraudulent training programs and obtain non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses from states, allowing them to work for companies that disregard their limited English proficiency.

“Once you start to pay attention, you see that all these bad things have been happening. And the consequence of that is that Americans get hurt,” Duffy remarked. “When we get on the road, we should expect to be safe. Those who drive those 80,000-pound big rigs should be well-trained, qualified, and ensure safety.”

A major trucking advocacy group has commended Duffy and Barrs for their announcement. Throughout the hour-long press conference, streamed live on YouTube, Duffy recapped measures taken over the past year to tackle various issues, starting with a new regulation mandating that all truck drivers must speak English and read road signs proficiently. This also included FMCSA’s efforts to audit state CDL processes and investigate training providers.

Duffy and Barrs also introduced several new proposed regulations aimed at addressing industry challenges, which include:

• Prohibiting driver training providers from self-certifying compliance with federal standards
• Modernizing the outdated federal motor carrier registration system
• Enhancing procedures for the suspension or revocation of approvals for noncompliant carriers or schools
• Mandating state motor vehicle departments to handle all CDL testing
• Adding qualification and testing requirements for brokers

Additionally, all CDL knowledge tests will now be conducted exclusively in English. Efforts will be intensified to identify and eliminate so-called chameleon carriers. The initiative to eradicate noncompliant electronic logging devices will also persist, with Barrs noting that FMCSA has already removed 42 devices that falsely claimed compliance with federal requirements.

Post-event, Todd Spencer, President of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, expressed support for Secretary Duffy and Administrator Barrs’ decisive actions to enhance road safety and professionalism in the trucking industry. “Individuals have entered the trucking workforce under the misleading claim of a nationwide ‘driver shortage’ without the requisite training to safely operate an 80,000-pound vehicle,” Spencer commented. He noted that the Trump Administration is reinforcing training, licensing, and qualification protocols instead of lowering standards, emphasizing that this is a victory for public safety and for dedicated professional truckers.