Arkansas trucking group pushes to end recognition of all non-domiciled CDLs in the state

An Arkansas-based trucking group is pushing to end recognition of all non-domiciled CDLs issued in any state and insists waiting for federal reforms will take too long. 

Last year, Arkansas passed Act 604, which requires CDL holders have a US work authorization, a valid work visa, and demonstrate English Language Proficiency, essentially banning non-domiciled CDL holders. However, American Truckers United says the act didn’t go far enough, and is pushing to end recognition of all non-domiciled CDLs in the state of Arkansas. The group also says that it doesn’t want to wait around for federal reforms to come to fruition either, and aims for Arkansas to take action on its own. 

ATU wants Arkansas to stop recognizing non-domiciled CDLs issued in other states, stop accepting B-1 business visas held by many Mexican truck drivers, and wants to see drivers caught driving with these credentials fined and their trucks impounded. 

“If we had a bunch of unvetted, unqualified, untrained truck drivers operating on our highways, then it should be everyone’s priority to get these drivers off of the road… You still have drivers from Mexico who don’t have MVRs, who don’t have proper drug tests, who don’t have proper training and qualification operating on Arkansas highways,” said Shannon Everett, co-founder of American Truckers United, reported ABC 7.

“We all said we agree with what they’ve [ATU] said, right, but the things that they wanted, right, needed to be handled at a federal level because of NAFTA… The Attorney General told them that, the chair of transportation told them that,” said State Rep. R.J. Hawk, (R) District 81, who sponsored Act 604.

Hawk argues that Act 604 is doing plenty to tackle the illegal driving problem, but Everett says that illegal immigrant drivers are still getting caught transporting drugs in the state. 

“Since August, when it [Act 604] became law, it has placed 1,251 drivers out of service for not being English proficient, and they have arrested 386 drivers for having fraudulent CDLs… that’s exactly what Act 604 was designed for—was getting people off the streets that potentially are harmful to Arkansas drivers. That’s exactly what the bill is doing. It’s working right now,” Hawk said.