MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Trucking Association has joined trucking organizations nationwide in releasing a one-year progress report on the significant federal and state efforts to remove illegal operators, strengthen regulatory oversight and restore fairness for motor carriers and professional drivers who follow the rules.
The results that are documented in the latest report from the Trucking Association Executives Council (TAEC) reflect a sustained partnership among the trucking industry, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, state governments and law enforcement. Since TAEC released Trucking Resurgence: The Fight for Fairness and Safety last fall, state and federal officials have acted across nearly every priority identified in the industry-led plan, producing measurable results nationally and here in Alabama.
Last spring, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed the Highway Safety and Fairness Act. The new law, which was sponsored by Sen. Lance Bell and Rep. Steve Clouse, improves safety on Alabama’s highways by ensuring commercial motor vehicle operators meet federal work authorization and communication standards. That legislation now requires commercial driver license (CDL) holders operating in Alabama who hold a foreign CDL to possess valid U.S. work authorization and demonstrate English language proficiency, while also making it a criminal offense to present a false foreign CDL during enforcement encounters.
“Alabama’s trucking industry is built on the hard work of family-owned businesses, independent owner-operators, and professional drivers who play by the rules. Bad actors who exploit loopholes in our regulatory systems are putting everyone at risk, and this is unacceptable,” said Alabama Trucking President and CEO Mark Colson. “This latest report shows marked improvements across the board, and its release demonstrates that our industry leaders are in this fight for the long haul. We will continue our efforts to remove the bad actors and rogue elements of this industry, and we will continue to report our findings and adjust our strategies as needed.”
Since the release of the original Trucking Resurgence Plan last fall, more than 900 commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers in Alabama have been placed out of service for noncompliance with FMCSA’s English language proficiency standard.
“Alabama has seen a 20 percent reduction in fatal crashes involving commercial motor vehicles compared to the same period last year. This follows six consecutive years of reductions in both fatal crashes and overall crashes involving commercial motor vehicles,” said ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor. “Alabama continues to lead the way in commercial motor vehicle safety. We do not issue non-domiciled commercial driver licenses, our Driver License Division maintains the highest standards for commercial driver license school certification, and our Highway Patrol Troopers work every day to protect the public through consistent enforcement of state and federal laws governing commercial motor vehicle operations. We appreciate the continued support of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and our industry partners as we work together to enhance safety on Alabama’s roadways.”
The national progress report highlights extensive enforcement and reform efforts, including:
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Nearly 10,000 CDL schools removed from the federal Training Provider Registry, including 550 fraudulent schools that were shut down;
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$217 million in new federal investments in safety and CDL integrity;
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704 investigations of high-risk carriers, with 430 carriers voluntarily ceasing operations and another 60 to 70 shut down;
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3,200 visa revocations tied to cabotage enforcement;
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Audits of all 50 states’ CDL programs and non-domiciled CDL issuance;
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More than 194,000 non-domiciled CDLs that will no longer qualify under strengthened federal requirements;
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More than 27,000 drivers placed out of service for English-language proficiency violations; and
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76 noncompliant electronic logging device platforms removed from the approved registry and another 426 blocked from entering the marketplace.
“FMCSA’s mission is to prevent crashes, fatalities and injuries involving large trucks and buses, and that requires a regulatory system with no room for fraud or deliberate noncompliance,” said FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs. “The overwhelming majority of motor carriers and professional drivers operate safely and responsibly. Our responsibility is to support those operators by identifying bad actors, enforcing the law and closing gaps that threaten highway safety and the integrity of the trucking industry. The progress reflected in this report shows what is possible when government, law enforcement and industry work together, and we remain committed to building on these results.”
Trucking Resurgence: The Fight for Fairness and Safety Progress Report
View updates on the Trucking Resurgence plan’s seven key areas of reform with additional state and federal information.
The original Trucking Resurgence plan identified seven areas in which bad actors were exploiting weaknesses in existing systems: CDL integrity, federal motor carrier safety data, cross-border workforce integrity, non-domiciled CDLs, English-language proficiency, trucking fraud and electronic logging devices. Its recommendations emphasized better use of existing authority, stronger verification and more consistent enforcement instead of new requirements on carriers already operating safely and legally.
Early on, Alabama Trucking officials were instrumental in developing the initiative and have pushed for its launch and continue to work with FMCSA, Congress, state officials and law enforcement to strengthen driver qualifications, improve regulatory oversight and hold unsafe operators accountable.
The complete Trucking Resurgence Progress Report and original action plan are available at truckingresurgence.com.
