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Federal and state officials press trucking reforms, pledge tougher enforcement
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Summary
Federal and state transportation officials met with Wisconsin carriers and local lawmakers to discuss enforcement and regulatory reforms targeting fraudulent CDL schools, 'chameleon' carriers, electronic logging devices and English-language proficiency for commercial drivers; agency leaders promised continued investigations and system upgrades.
Federal and state transportation officials told trucking industry members in Wisconsin on Monday that they will push faster enforcement and new regulations to address fraudulent training schools, shell “chameleon” carriers and electronic-logging-device (ELD) irregularities.
Derek Morris, who introduced himself as an administrator for a federal transportation office, told the audience that "70% of what we touch is run through trucking," and said investigators have visited training schools and carriers nationwide to remove operators who are not following federal rules.
The Secretary, who led the session and spoke about national priorities for freight safety, said the department is tightening oversight in several areas. "We have a long standing rule that you have to speak English if you're gonna, have a commercial driver's license," the Secretary said, adding that the department is restoring stronger penalties and increasing enforcement of language-proficiency rules during roadside inspections.
Officials described multiple lines of action: cracking down on fraudulent CDL schools that self-certify compliance without curriculum or trucks; vetting and removing unreliable ELD vendors from the market; investigating and delisting carriers that operate through dozens or hundreds of shell affiliates; and launching an upgrade of the carrier registration system (referred to in the session as "MODIS").
On enforcement, Morris said investigators have removed dozens of vendors from the ELD approval process in recent weeks and are pursuing thousands of noncompliant training providers and carriers. "If you're not gonna do it right, leave the business," he said, describing administrative sweeps and investigative work to identify companies that use PO boxes or single interstate locations as the principal place of business.
The session included questions from local industry representatives about workforce shortages, federal funding and liability costs. Officials discussed two recruitment pools: younger drivers (noting interstate driving age limits) and military veterans transitioning from service. The Secretary said policymakers are also looking at revenue options to shore up the Highway Trust Fund, including an annual fee for some electric vehicles and broader uses of public-private partnerships.
Audience members asked about a proposal mentioned in the State of the Union, referred to at the session as the "Delilah" measure for victims of crashes involving allegedly undocumented drivers. The Secretary said DOT has provided ideas to the White House and is working with Congress on a proposal, and an agency official said the plan is moving quickly through interagency review.
Local industry leaders raised concerns about high permitting costs and lengthy project timelines. The Secretary said a large portion of some projects' budgets goes to consultants and permitting activities, and called for bipartisan permitting reform to speed delivery and reduce costs.
Officials closed the session by urging attendees to report local safety problems. "If you see problems that we're not focused on, please share them," the Secretary said, adding that the agencies have limited time to implement reforms and welcome local input.
The event did not record any formal votes; officials described ongoing rulemaking and investigative activity and said more details would be shared with Congress and stakeholders as proposals and enforcement actions progress.
