The Trucking Resurgence has officially begun! Yesterday, surrounded by state troopers, ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor and bill sponsors state Sen. Lance Bell and Rep. Steve Clouse, along with Alabama Trucking President and CEO Mark Colson and board members Joe Black, Tommy Neely and Scott Smith, Governor Ivey signed the Highway Safety and Fairness Act (SB242) into law in her office.
The legislation requires commercial driver license (CDL) holders operating in Alabama who hold a foreign CDL to possess valid U.S. work authorization. It also requires all CDL holders to demonstrate English language proficiency, while making it a criminal offense to present a false foreign CDL during enforcement encounters.
Governor Ivey said at the bill signing in Montgomery, “Alabama’s economy is booming, and our hardworking truckers play a vital role in keeping goods moving across our state and across this country. At the same time, Alabama families travel these same highways every single day, and they deserve to know the rules are being enforced.”
Moreover, this new law gives law enforcement stronger tools to enforce regulations aimed at keeping Alabama roadways safer. ATA officials applauded the importance of this legislation, highlighting the need to support law enforcement in these critical safety efforts.
ATA President and CEO Mark Colson highlighted the importance of equipping law enforcement with stronger tools to keep Alabama’s roadways safe.
“Alabama’s law enforcement agency is a national leader in highway safety, and SB242 will give them additional tools to keep illegal operators off the road,” he said. “This bill will save lives and help create a fair and level playing field in Alabama. Most of the solutions to root out bad actors in trucking are being implemented uniformly at the federal level, as outlined in a national action plan called Trucking Resurgence. This bill is an important state component that aligns with federal law and increases penalties for lawbreakers.”
This progress is a result of industry, the Governor’s Office, lawmakers and law enforcement working together to remove bad actors and illegal operators by addressing real reforms that are making Alabama highways safer and bringing fairness to our industry.
Read the Governor’s Office press release here.
