MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Alabama’s trucking industry and law enforcement community say there has been major progress made in the last year removing “bad actors” from state roadways amid a national crackdown.
Alabama Trucking Association President and CEO Mark Colson pointed to the latest national industry report showing thousands of CDL schools being removed from the training registry and hundreds of high-risk carriers being shut down. In Alabama, more than 900 truck drivers have been placed out of service for non-compliance with industry English language proficiency requirements since last fall.
“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,” Colson said in a news release. “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.”
This spring, the Alabama Legislature passed and Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law legislation that requires English language proficiency among truck drivers under state law and makes it a crime to present a false foreign CDL license during traffic stops.
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Secretary Hal Taylor said the state has seen a 20% reduction in fatal crashes involving commercial trucks 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,” Taylor said, mentioning the support of industry and federal partners. “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.”
Read the full report: Trucking Resurgence: The Fight for Fairness and Safety.