Governor Kay Ivey and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency reported Thursday that ALEA’s Motor Carrier Safety Unit, working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has assisted in the detention of 82 individuals identified during Commercial Motor Vehicle inspections since the partnership began just over a month ago.

It’s part of a coordinated push by lawmakers and law enforcement to crack down on bad actors behind the wheel of a truck on Alabama roads.

ALEA said most detentions occurred during two Strike Force operations focused on high-crash rural interstate corridors. ALEA also reported about 242 individuals encountered during CMV inspections were referred to ICE for immigration-status checks.

Among those detained, 12 had no driver’s license of any kind, and the rest held out-of-state licenses.

According to the Governor’s Office, ICE personnel have also been integrated into ALEA’s routine commercial vehicle enforcement assignments.

Hal Taylor, Secretary of ALEA, said his agency is dedicated to keeping Alabama’s roads and its citizens safe from anyone operating a commercial vehicle illegally.

“These results reflect the strength of our ongoing partnership with ICE and our collaboration with all federal partners committed to improving highway and public safety,” said ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor said.

The enforcement action also coincides with the Alabama Trucking Association’s participation in a nationwide initiative that is quickly earning the full backing of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

RELATED: Mark Colson: We must stop the ‘bad actors’ now and allow the good guys to keep on trucking

The Trucking Association Executive Council released a plan on Thursday entitled, “The Fight for Fairness and Safety: Paving the Way for a Trucking Resurgence.”

The blueprint argues that fraudulent and illegal operators are exploiting regulatory gaps to undercut law-abiding fleets damage the reputation of professional drivers.

“Alabama’s trucking industry is built on the hard work of family-owned small businesses and professional drivers who follow the rules and operate safely, but a growing number of illegal operators and bad actors who exploit regulatory loopholes are compromising safety and undercutting hard working Alabamians who move our economy,” Alabama Trucking Association CEO, Mark Colson, said.

“Fortunately, due to the leadership and enforcement actions by Governor Kay Ivey and ALEA, Alabama is doing its part to keep our highways safe and keep the bad actors out of the trucking industry. These efforts align with the trucking industry’s Trucking Resurgence action plan which is a nationwide roadmap to systematically root out those in trucking who operate illegally and harm the reputation of a strong and proud industry.”

According to ATA, the plan identifies seven major vulnerabilities that bad actors exploit:

1. CDL Integrity – Closing loopholes in commercial driver licensing
2. MCMIS Overhaul – Fixing America’s broken trucking safety data system
3. Cross-Border Integrity – Assuring workforce integrity at our borders
4. Non-Domiciled CDL Reform – Strengthening oversight and enforcement
5. English Language Proficiency – Closing critical CDL safety gaps
6. Combating Trucking Fraud – Addressing broker and carrier fraud schemes
7. Electronic Log Integrity – Ending ELD manipulation and hours-of-service fraud

The action plan builds on recent federal actions, including U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s order strictly enforcing English language proficiency requirements, which resulted in more than 5,000+ drivers being placed out of service for safety violations, and another order cracking down on the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs, many of which were issued improperly or illegally.

Alabama’s U.S. Senators Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt, as well as Governor Kay Ivey, are also backing the plan.

On the heels of reporting results from ALEA and ICE’s recent operational success, Governor Ivey said Alabama is leading the way on “going after illegal bad actors in trucking.”

“I’m proud of ALEA for taking decisive action and grateful for our strong partnership with ICE. Alabama will not look the other way while illegal immigration and illegal operators threaten the safety of our communities or undermine the integrity of our trucking industry,” Ivey said.

“If you are here illegally and breaking our laws or putting folks at risk on our highways, you will be held accountable in our state.”

Tuberville (R-Auburn), who has been vocal on the issue of English proficiency standards and keeping illegal operators out of trucks, said he’s proud to back the nationwide plan.

“We need to ensure that those applying for CDLs are properly trained and can speak and read English before allowing them to drive on our roads. This Trucking Resurgence Action Plan will go to great lengths to root out the bad actors in the industry that would rather hire cheap labor than keep Americans safe.”

“Let’s keep our roads safe and Make Trucking Great Again,” Tuberville added.

Britt (R-Montgomery) said by integrating innovative technology with the trucking industry’s current needs and cracking down on improperly issued CDLs, the work being done by government and industry partners will protect American jobs and save lives.

“I’m pleased to support these state and federal joint efforts to root out the bad actors who exploit regulatory gaps at the expense of the safety of families and law-abiding citizens.”

“These bad actors are undercutting Alabama small businesses, and I strongly support these commonsense efforts to prioritize the men and women who follow the letter of the law and make our roads safer for everyone,” Britt said.