Dept of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Dept of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin hold a press conference to announce emergency DoT and DHS action to initiate an emergency shutdown of regulated training centers for commercial driver’s licenses.
Actions announced include DoT (1) Emergency removal of 110 commercial driver’s license (CDL) schools associated with more than 5,000 drivers who failed English language proficiency tests. (2) Launching a nationwide audit of third-party CDL skills testers and states’ oversight of the testers. (3) Results from 40-state investigation of additional training schools. From DHS (1) Synchronized single-day sweep targeting more than 200 training schools across 23 states. (2) Joint coordination with USDOT. (3) HSI and ICE updates on ongoing investigations targeting CDL-related businesses and schools.
Secretary Duffy and Secretary Mullin outlined the issues and actions in a press conference this morning. WATCH:
[Press Release Here]
What Secretary Mullin outlined in his remarks is stunning. During one taskforce setup, in the first day they stopped 14 big rig drivers with a CDL that said “No Name Given” for the truck driver’s identification. They didn’t even have names on their commercial driver’s licenses.
At 41:10 of the video, a reporter downplays the issue claiming only 1% of the accidents on the road are caused by drivers who do not speak English. Secretary Mullin responds with a very intense pushback against the reporter.
Keep in mind that airline pilots as well as air traffic controllers must be 100% proficient in the English language to operate an aircraft in the United States. That requirement goes for foreign flagged airlines as well.
Twice in a week a was just a split second from being obliterated by a truck. Only my quick reflex’s saved me. One was nearly a head on and the other was almost my driver side impact. . I can’t say the truck driver was an illegal but I can say they weren’t good drivers