ATA calls again for “enforcement surge” to crack down on underqualified truckers 

American Trucking Associations is calling for an “enforcement surge” to crack down on truck drivers who do not meet the high standards the organization believes the industry needs. 

The ATA issued another statement on Friday, August 29th citing the recent illegal u-turn crash in Florida as motivation to crack down on truck drivers that fail to “meet the high standards of professionalism and safety that our industry expects and the law demands.”

Qualified means you can speak English, read road signs, understand safety rules, and respect our laws. Qualified means you’re not abusing alcohol or using drugs. Qualified means you earned your CDL the right way—not through a rubber-stamp process in some state that looks the other way,” the statement reads. 

The statement goes on to praise Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s recent announcement putting states on notice if they fail to uphold the updated English Language Proficiency requirements, and the new pause on work visas for truck drivers. 

“Safety regulations only work when they are consistently enforced. And if you can’t read road signs in America, you can’t drive a truck in America. Period.”

As the statement continues, it promotes an enforcement surge, and criticizes discrepancies in enforcement between states, along with “shady… CDL mills” that issue CDLs to drivers as long as they pay up. It then goes on to point out that, while there may be plenty of CDL holders in the US, counting all of them towards the number of actual drivers available to fill driving positions is “reckless.”

“People who count every unqualified applicant as part of the “available driver pool” are so dishonest. Counting all CDL holders, including the driver who caused this month’s fatal accident in Florida, against the real shortage of qualified talent is reckless and self-serving.”

“The overwhelming majority of America’s 3.5 million professional truck drivers take immense pride in their work. They meet every requirement, every day, and they move our economy forward with skill and responsibility. But when unqualified drivers are allowed behind the wheel, they tarnish the reputation of the entire industry and undermine public trust.”

“Lowering the bar doesn’t just threaten freight. It threatens lives.”