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FMCSA bans CMV drivers convicted of human trafficking for life

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The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced a final rule today that will permanently ban a person from operating a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) for life if they are found guilty of human trafficking.

The FMCSA announced the final rule on Tuesday, July 16.

According to a news release from the FMCSA, “this new rule [will] prohibit an individual from operating a CMV for life if that individual uses a CMV in committing a felony involving a severe form of human trafficking. The new rule revises the list of offenses permanently disqualifying individuals from operating a CMV for which a commercial driver’s license or a commercial learner’s permit is required.”

Lawmakers define “a severe form of human trafficking” as “sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age.” It may also refer to “the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.”

The FMCSA says that the lifetime ban follows President Trump’s signing of the “No Human Trafficking on Our Roads Act.”

“The commercial motor vehicle industry is uniquely positioned to help detect and report human trafficking, and thankfully professional drivers’ efforts often bring an end to these tragic situations. Sadly, however, some human trafficking activities are facilitated by the use of commercial trucks or buses,” said FMCSA Administrator Raymond P. Martinez. “By enforcing a lifetime ban on any CMV driver convicted of severe human trafficking, we aim to deliver a strong and effective deterrent to this abhorrent behavior. If a commercial driver is convicted of using their commercial motor vehicle related to human trafficking—that person will never be driving interstate commercial vehicles again.”

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