Commercial trucking companies brace for crackdown on drivers lacking legal status

U.S. Border Patrol agents said 37 people were arrested in the span of three days in an operation along the I-90 Thruway.

Thirty individuals lacking legal status had valid CDL licenses from states across the nation, including New York.

These individuals were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation proceedings.

It's the latest action from the government as they look to rein in the trucking industry in the wake of a few deadly incidents.

The crackdown on commercial truck driver licenses has some trucking companies concerned, including Lakeville Trucking, Inc., where up to 20% of its truck drivers could be at risk.

“Oh, it's devastating, loss of revenue, when the truck sits, it's actually costing money,” said owner Alex Voronin.

Lakeville Trucking employs about 20 truck drivers who are in the country on a temporary protection status.

Voronin is worried about a push from the U.S. Department of Transportation to limit which non-citizens could get CDLs to immigrants with certain visas, as well as the reinforcement of federal law requiring drivers to be proficient in English.

"I don't feel like they're taking American jobs away. If there is an American driver out there who wants to come and apply well, come on over,” said Voronin.

But federal officials say the decision is more about safety following at least three fatal crashes involving immigrant truck drivers.

“I think there's a level of expectations with a CDL. You know, it's a higher-level license. There should be a higher level of safety and security that follows that,” said Logan Cooper, regional manager for the traffic team at OEC Group.

The organization is an international freight forwarder and domestic broker working with trucking companies throughout the U.S. and Canada.

“I do generally agree with the crackdown. But I don't 100% agree that you need to be a perfect English-speaking person to understand the rules of the roads and be a safe driver,” said Cooper.

Voronin says his drivers are fully vetted. “We hire only the best,” Voronin said. “We want to make sure the records clean, make sure the driver can do their job, you know, but unfortunately, it's a lot of people, it’s very hard to find good help.  

“I think if we were to remove some of the drivers, especially the ones who are not being safe or don't meet the requirements, I think that will have a positive impact on the industry… It's more important than ever whether you're working with OEC or any other third-party carriers, or your trucking partners, directly to make sure that you are exercising a proper level of due diligence and vetting your carrier so that the negligent hiring aspect isn't an issue for you,” said Cooper.

In the meantime, a federal appeals court has halted the Transportation Department’s efforts for now. “Well, just look over, give us some kind of guidance. You want to retest, maybe you want to check the documents,” said Voronin.

This article was published by Spectrum News 1