Alabama Trucking announced it has joined forced with a broad group of state and national trucking associations from across the country in support of a comprehensive policy blueprint to eliminate “bad actors” who exploit regulatory gaps, undermine safety, and create unfair competitive advantages in the commercial trucking industry. The action plan, The Fight for Fairness and Safety: Paving the Way for a Trucking Resurgence, “addresses seven critical areas where fraudulent and illegal operators undercut law-abiding businesses, endanger public safety, and damage the reputation and morale of America’s professional truck drivers,” according to the Association.
The Trucking Association Executive Council, TAEC, which developed the action plan through a special task force, is comprised of trucking leaders from coast to coast. The initiative comes as the trucking industry nationwide and in Alabama faces “daunting freight demand, frivolous attacks from plaintiff’s trial lawyers, and unfair competition from illegal operators who manipulate licensing systems, engage in freight fraud, tamper with safety records, and operate outside legal boundaries,” the Association stated.
“Alabama’s trucking industry is built on the hard work of family-owned businesses, independent owner-operators, and professional drivers who play by the rules. Bad actors who exploit loopholes in our regulatory systems are putting everyone at risk, and this is unacceptable,” said Alabama Trucking President and CEO Mark Colson. “We are focused on solutions and resolute on seeing them implemented. By doing so, we will save lives, save small businesses, and set the table for a trucking resurgence in Alabama.”
The Trucking Resurgence action plan identified seven major vulnerabilities that bad actors can exploit:
- CDL Integrity – Closing loopholes in commercial driver licensing
- MCMIS Overhaul – Fixing America’s broken trucking safety data system
- Cross-Border Integrity – Assuring workforce integrity at our borders
- Non-Domiciled CDL Reform – Strengthening oversight and enforcement
- English Language Proficiency – Closing critical CDL safety gaps
- Combating Trucking Fraud – Addressing broker and carrier fraud schemes
- Electronic Log Integrity – Ending ELD manipulation and hours-of-service fraud
The plan emphasizes that most of the solutions are immediately actionable and do not require long, drawn-out legislation or rule-making. Most involve technology-driven solutions, including AI-powered data analysis to detect fraudulent patterns, integrated databases to prevent operator schemes, and enhanced verification systems to ensure regulatory compliance. These reforms would not create new burdens for legitimate operators but would leverage existing data more effectively to identify and eliminate bad actors, the Association said.
Daniel Wright, chairman of the Alabama Trucking Association, added, “Alabama Trucking represents the safest, most reliable fleets in the state, but we cannot compete with those who simply don’t follow the laws. It not only compromises highway safety, but it is also demoralizing to our professional drivers who are on the roads every day doing the right things and moving this state. We have a duty to fight for them, and this action plan will level the playing field.”
The action plan builds on recent federal actions, including 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 does not issue non-domiciled CDLs. The TAEC recommendations would extend similar accountability measures across all identified problem areas.
Sec. Duffy’s transportation administration delivered additional news a day after the action plan was released nation-wide when they placed nearly 8,000 CDL schools across the nation on notice of certification termination if they failed to comply with standard training requirements.
“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,” said Sen. Katie Britt. “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. By integrating innovative technology with the trucking industry’s current needs and cracking down on improperly issued CDLs, these efforts will protect American jobs and save lives.”
Senator Tommy Tuberville stated, “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.”
The trucking industry accounts for 1 of every 13 jobs held by working Alabamians, and 86 percent of Alabama communities depend exclusively on trucking to move their goods. Alabama Trucking said it has been working diligently on this issue with our federal delegation, the Governor’s office, and law enforcement, and will continue to advocate for the highest standards for safety and security in transportation that will create a level playing field for Alabama’s hard-working trucking professionals.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, ALEA, yesterday announced a “crack down” on illegal trucking operators in a coordinated effort with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE.
“Alabama is leading the way when it comes to 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,” said Gov. Ivey. “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.”
Alabama Trucking said it will continue to work with federal and state officials to ensure progress is made in each of these areas. Regardless of how long or any challenges exist, Alabama Trucking said it is committed to paving the way for a trucking resurgence.
The full report is available at www.truckingresurgence.com.
