Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Trucking Industry

Supreme Court Case Could Expand Liability For Freight Brokers In Trucking Accidents
Approved, National, The Federalist

Supreme Court Case Could Expand Liability For Freight Brokers In Trucking Accidents

By Brianna Lyman | The Federalist hirty people died in 17 semi-truck crashes caused by noncitizen commercial truck drivers in 2025, according to the Department of Transportation. That number is almost certainly an undercount. Prior to 2025, the immigration status of a commercial truck driver was mostly not recorded in crash reports, court filings, or news coverage. The national conversation focuses on the truck driver at fault for the latest accident, but rarely goes deeper. Why was this truck driver on the highways? What trucking company hired him? How are operations like this still in business? Somewhere between receiving a package from the distribution center to your doorstep, there is a strong possibility that a freight broker was involved. Freight brokers exist to manage freight...
Colorado Drivers Feel Economic Squeeze As Gas Nears $4.50 Per Gallon
The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Colorado Drivers Feel Economic Squeeze As Gas Nears $4.50 Per Gallon

By Tamara Chuang | The Colorado Sun It’s even more painful for truckers and ride-sharing drivers. Many are contractors who are paying out of pocket to fuel up. Before Feb. 28, Kareem Sawadogo paid about $40 to fill up his tank. Now, it’s over $65, said Sawadogo, a driver for both Lyft and Uber. And if he’s driving full time, which is 40 to 60 hours a week, he must fill up daily. Combine the higher cost of gas with the rising prices of auto insurance and car maintenance, and it seems cheaper to just park his car.  “If you do the math, 30 times seven, that extra is a lot of money,” said Sawadogo, who’s taken on another job — organizing for the Colorado Independent Drivers United, which estimates there are 41,000 ridesharing drivers in the state. “I cannot a...
New Federal Rule Requires English CDL Testing For Commercial Drivers Nationwide
kdvr.com, Approved, National

New Federal Rule Requires English CDL Testing For Commercial Drivers Nationwide

By Josh Funk | KDVR All truckers and bus drivers will have to take their commercial driver’s license tests in English as the Trump administration expands its aggressive campaign to improve safety in the industry and get unqualified drivers off the road. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the latest effort Friday to ensure that drivers meet the federal requirements to understand English well enough to read road signs and communicate with law enforcement officers. Florida already started administering its tests in English. Currently, many states allow drivers to take their license tests in other languages even though they are required to demonstrate English proficiency. California offered tests in 20 other languages. Duffy said that a number of states have hir...
Feds Shut Down 550 Commercial Driving Schools Over Safety Failures
KKCO-TV Grand Junction, Approved, National

Feds Shut Down 550 Commercial Driving Schools Over Safety Failures

By The Associated Press and Josh Funk | KKCO TV (AP) - More than 550 commercial driving schools in the U.S. that train truckers and bus drivers must close after investigators found they employed unqualified instructors, failed to adequately test students and had other safety issues, the federal Transportation Department announced Wednesday. The move marks the Trump administration’s latest effort to improve safety in the trucking industry. And unlike its actions last fall to decertify up to 7,500 schools that included many defunct operations, this latest step is focused on active schools inspectors identified as having significant shortcomings in 1,426 site visits completed in December. The department has been aggressively going after states that handed out c...
Colorado Audits 1,745 Immigrant CDL Holders After New Federal Restrictions
The Colorado Sun, State

Colorado Audits 1,745 Immigrant CDL Holders After New Federal Restrictions

By Jennifer Brown | The Colorado Sun The state paused its commercial driver’s license program for immigrants with temporary legal status after a new Trump administration rule Of the 126,525 people in Colorado licensed to drive 18-wheelers, school buses, and trucks carrying hazardous materials, 1,745 are immigrants who do not have permanent legal status to live in the United States.  That number won’t rise anytime soon, if ever.  Colorado paused new licenses and renewals for immigrants without citizenship or green cards after the Trump administration announced “emergency action” in September to drastically restrict who is eligible for commercial driver’s licenses. The new restrictions include refugees, asylum seekers and people protected by DACA, or Deferred Action for Chil...
Highway danger: Non-English truck drivers surge while crashes climb
Breitbart, Approved, National

Highway danger: Non-English truck drivers surge while crashes climb

By Bob Price | Breitbart A report published last week on social media by American Truckers United shows that Texas companies lead the nation in employing drivers who are not proficient in reading and understanding English. Recent crashes, including a multi-fatality crash in the state’s capital city earlier this year, raised the issue to the forefront. “Texas is largely responsible for the truck drivers that don’t speak English on America’s roadways,” American Truckers United posted on social media on Friday. “They are predominantly originating from the state of Texas.” According to the graph posted by the group showing the number of drivers put out of service for failing to meet English Proficiency Standards, Texas is not even close to second-place Illinois. The graph shows nearly...
English skills, safety concerns fuel support for Trump’s visa pause
Cowboy State Daily, Approved, State

English skills, safety concerns fuel support for Trump’s visa pause

By Clair McFarland | Cowboy State Daily The Wyoming Highway Patrol and the state’s largest advocate for truckers said Friday that they support the federal government’s sudden suspension of immigrant worker visas for commercial truck drivers. The Trump Administration paused the issuance of work visas for truckers on Thursday. The head of the Wyoming Highway Patrol said it’s a good move, if it’s being used to vet truckers better for their skills and regard for safety. The Wyoming Trucking Association supports the policy change.  The Wyoming Immigrant Advocacy Project’s leader, however, said it misses the mark – since there are recent signs of trucking companies overworking or otherwise taking advantage of immigrant truck drivers. Se...
1,500 Truckers Pulled Off the Road for Failing English Rule Revived by Trump
National, Approved, The Daily Signal

1,500 Truckers Pulled Off the Road for Failing English Rule Revived by Trump

By Fred Lucas | The Daily Signal FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Following new guidelines from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to enforce English language proficiency for commercial truck drivers, 1,500 drivers have had their licenses placed out of service by law enforcement, The Daily Signal has learned. “‘America First’ means safety first. Americans are a lot safer on roads alongside truckers who can understand and interpret our traffic signs,” Duffy said in May at the signing of the guidelines. “This commonsense change ensures the penalty for failure to comply is more than a slap on the wrist.”  The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, a division of the Transportation Department, has had longstanding English-language proficiency requirements.  ...

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