An Alabama trucking crackdown has placed more than 900 commercial drivers out of service for failing federal English-language standards as fatal crashes involving commercial vehicles continue to decline.
The Alabama Trucking Association released the state figures as part of a new national progress report tracking efforts to remove unsafe operators, strengthen commercial driver’s license oversight and improve highway safety.
According to the association, Alabama has recorded a 20% reduction in fatal commercial motor vehicle crashes compared with the same period last year. The decline follows six consecutive years of reductions in both fatal and overall commercial vehicle crashes.
“Bad actors who exploit loopholes in our regulatory systems are putting everyone at risk, and this is unacceptable,” Alabama Trucking Association President and CEO Mark Colson said.
Colson said the progress reflects cooperation among the trucking industry, law enforcement and state and federal regulators while protecting family-owned carriers, independent operators and professional drivers who follow the rules.
The report comes months after Gov. Kay Ivey signed the Highway Safety and Fairness Act, sponsored by State Sen. Lance Bell (R-Pell City) and State Rep. Steve Clouse (R-Ozark).
The law requires commercial drivers operating in Alabama with foreign-issued CDLs to possess valid authorization to work in the United States and demonstrate English proficiency. It also creates criminal penalties for presenting a fraudulent foreign commercial license during an enforcement encounter.
The measure takes effect October 1.
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Secretary Hal Taylor said the state does not issue non-domiciled CDLs and maintains strict standards for certifying commercial driving schools.
“Alabama continues to lead the way in commercial motor vehicle safety,” Taylor said.
The national report also documents a broader federal enforcement campaign.
Nearly 10,000 commercial driving schools have been removed from the federal Training Provider Registry, including 550 schools identified as fraudulent. Federal officials have conducted 704 investigations of high-risk carriers, leading 430 to cease operations voluntarily and another 60 to 70 to be shut down.
More than 27,000 drivers have been placed out of service nationwide for English-language proficiency violations, while strengthened federal requirements are expected to disqualify more than 194,000 non-domiciled CDLs.
The report also cites $217 million in new federal investments in safety and CDL integrity, 3,200 visa revocations connected to cabotage enforcement and the removal of 76 noncompliant electronic logging device platforms from the federal registry.
The original Trucking Resurgence plan identified weaknesses involving CDL integrity, driver qualifications, fraudulent carriers, cross-border employment, electronic logging devices and inconsistent enforcement.
Alabama Trucking said the effort emphasizes stronger enforcement of existing laws rather than imposing new burdens on carriers already operating legally and safely.
Sawyer Knowles is a state and political reporter for Yellowhammer News. You may contact him at [email protected].
