LITTLE ROCK, ARK. – The Arkansas Trucking Association commended the Arkansas Legislature for passing HB1745 to uphold the standards and privileges afforded to commercial truck drivers. The legislation passed the Senate unanimously last week, and this afternoon, the House approved an amendment to clarify language and codify the federal English language proficiency requirement for commercial drivers.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. R.J. Hawk (R-Bryant) and Sen. Kim Hammer (R-Benton), addresses an emerging problem of fraudulent foreign commercial driver’s licenses. In 2023, the Texas Department of Public Safety discovered fraudulent Mexican commercial driver’s licenses (LFCs) obtained through criminal enterprises and corrupt officials, allowing unqualified drivers to operate commercial vehicles in the U.S. illegally.
“Today is a great day for the state of Arkansas,” said Lead Sponsor Rep. Hawk. “After collaborating with the Arkansas Highway Police, Arkansas State Police, Attorney General and the Arkansas Trucking Association, I’m confident that we will be able to successfully crack down on counterfeit CDLs.
“Making our Arkansas highways safer has been the objective throughout this process. My hope is that the federal government will take notice of what Arkansas is doing and take appropriate actions to ensure our highways are safe,” Hawk added.
International trade agreements and memorandums of understanding between the U.S., Mexico and Canada include reciprocity provisions that each country will recognize valid CDLs issued by the others. Modeled after Texas’ legislation, HB1745 requires individuals presenting a non-domestic CDL to also present a valid work permit or work visa issued by the U.S. government to validate their identity and driving credentials.
The English language proficiency requirement is unique to the Arkansas solution and will allow law enforcement agencies across Arkansas to enforce the existing federal regulation.
“Training standards, medical qualifications and roadside enforcement of driver qualifications and equipment inspections are largely governed by federal regulations. All of these collectively establish essential qualifications that all drivers must meet before operating a commercial vehicle. The men and women who meet these qualifications deliver for our communities, and the standards should be applied to all drivers,” said Arkansas Trucking Association President Shannon Newton.
“Today’s legislation affirms Arkansas’ commitment to use the tools available to us to enhance road safety under the constraints of superseding international agreements, federal rules and the provision of free-flowing interstate commerce. Our goal has always been to provide our law enforcement the tools to identify and stop those circumventing the system, obtaining fraudulent credentials and operating on our state’s roadways,” Newton continued.
“I will always stand with our law enforcement to help keep all Arkansans safe,” Rep. Hawk said. “Thank you to Governor Sanders and the entire Legislature for also recognizing the problem of counterfeit foreign CDLs and working towards a solution to fix it in Arkansas.”
