Indiana has already revoked commercial truck and bus driving licenses from nearly 1,800 drivers in the state. The move followed a new law passed this year.
However, having fewer truck drivers on the road isn’t negatively impacting the state’s trucking business, said Gary Langston, president of the Indiana Motor Truck Association.
According to Langston,the overall economy hasn't needed to move as much via trucking or freight transportation over the past four years.
“In a different economy, the impact of this language may have been more significant, but under the conditions we're operating under, this language is not negatively impacting our ability to move freight,” Langston said.
The new law, which went into effect April 1, narrowed eligibility by requiring that non-domiciled commercial drivers hold a certain immigrant work visa status to obtain and maintain their CDL.
The law also requires drivers to show proof of English proficiency to obtain the CDL and could enable employers to be fined up to $50,000. Drivers caught with an illegally obtained CDL could face a level 6 felony and a civil penalty of $5,000.
Non-U.S. citizens can be issued what is called a non-domiciled commercial driver’s license to operate large trucks if they qualify for one of the federal immigrant work visas.
Indiana’s law also aligns the state with new federal policies concerning CDL drivers now being enacted.
Governor Mike Braun said during a recent ceremonial signing of the law that Indiana is leading the nation in the move to keep roadways safer.
“We're getting acknowledged as a state that does the first on a lot of things, and when you're the crossroads of America, that is important,” Braun said.
Indiana lawmakers tackled the effort to police noncitizen CDL drivers more heavily in the past year after a series of notable fatal crashes involving non-domiciled CDL drivers. U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement has said that the drivers entered the country illegally.
Indiana’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles said that nearly all of the state’s non-domiciled CDL drivers have lost their CDL privileges due to the new law.
Of the 1,800 drivers whose licenses were revoked, about 400 have appealed, according to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles spokesperson, Greg Dunn. However, none of the appeals the bureau has reviewed to date have been reinstated, Dunn told WFYI.
Braun also said during the law signing that he does not know of any Indiana employers currently violating the law. He believes employers in other states are largely responsible for hiring illegal drivers.
“I think we know where it's coming from. Indiana is just going to be a really good place to ferret it out because of how much commerce passes through our state,” Braun said.
Contact Government Reporter Caroline Beck at cbeck@wfyi.org.
