This week the Senate proposed new legislation that would strip a person’s CDL for life if that person is convicted of a felony involving human trafficking.
Bill Would Impose Lifetime CDL Ban
The No Human Trafficking on Our Roads Act was introduced on July 12 by Senators John Thune, Amy Klobuchar, and Bill Nelson. According to a release from Thune’s office, the proposed legislation “would disqualify individuals from operating a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) for their lifetime if they used a CMV to commit a felony involving human trafficking.”
Said Thune, “Human trafficking must be fought on many fronts. Our legislation is a starting point for prevention and enforcement against the use of a commercial driver’s license in human trafficking.”
The senators also introduced a bill called the Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act that would establish a human trafficking prevention coordinator at the DOT and would increase anti-human trafficking education and outreach by the FMCSA.
OOIDA, TAT Oppose New Legislation
OOIDA strongly opposes the bill, which they say singles out truck drivers. Truckers Against Trafficking also opposes the bill. TAT writes, “We are fully aware that trucking is one of the most over-regulated industries, and that you cannot legislate the mind and heart … To date, the only federal bill we have given our support to is Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s bill (S1536), which would designate a human trafficking prevention coordinator at the U.S. DOT, increase outreach, education and reporting efforts at the FMCSA, and provide CDL schools who are implementing anti-trafficking education additional financial assistance. This bill only incentivizes training at the federal level; it does not mandate it.”
[su_document url=”https://www.commerce.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/e80733f7-ed50-4b41-943a-0c184d5516db/96ABA919033E836EE7B429537E05BD36.s.1532.pdf” width=”700″]Trucker’s Letter To Paul Ryan In Washington[/su_document]