Republicans in Pennsylvania are pressuring Democratic colleagues to act on legislation targeting illegal immigrant truckers on America's highways after several foreign nationals involved in dangerous incidents were found holding commercial driver's licenses from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
The controversy intensified following cases involving foreign nationals apprehended as far away as Oklahoma, Kansas and Indiana who held PennDOT-issued CDLs. In one case, an Uzbek national residing in Philadelphia was nabbed in Kansas earlier this year and later found to be wanted back home in Tashkent on suspicion of ties to terrorist groups, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
What the Right Is Saying
Republicans are advancing what they call commonsense reforms to secure America's highways. Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee Chairman Jarrett Coleman, R-Allentown, has led the charge after multiple cases emerged of foreign nationals with PennDOT CDLs being involved in incidents across the country.
"Cracking down on CDL mills and requiring English language proficiency for truck drivers are easy ways for Pennsylvania to make the roads a little safer," Coleman told Fox News Digital. "I can't imagine how anyone could be opposed to these types of changes, and quite frankly they're overdue."
Coleman, a former commercial pilot and ex-member of the Parkland School Board, highlighted a Senate fact-finding hearing involving PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll following an incident in which a Kyrgyz national with a PennDOT CDL caused a crash that killed a person in Indiana. The top Republican on the Senate Transportation Committee, Sen. Judy Ward of Hollidaysburg, is sponsoring the legislative package.
What the Left Is Saying
Gov. Josh Shapiro's administration has pointed to problems with federal verification systems as a contributing factor. Spokeswoman Rosie Lapowsky said PennDOT continues to issue CDLs to drivers verified through the SAVE database and in accordance with applicable state and federal law.
"The fact remains that every person who applies for a non-domiciled commercial driver's license issued by PennDOT must provide proof of identity and proof of their lawful presence in the United States," Lapowsky said. "We will monitor the bills as they go through the legislative process."
Democrats previously alleged DHS failed to properly maintain its SAVE database, which PennDOT uses to verify an applicant's lawful presence. Shapiro's allies in the State House were largely unavailable for comment on the Republican-backed measures.
What the Numbers Show
Pennsylvania's divided government shapes the legislative landscape. The House sits at 102-99 Democratic, with two Republican-favored seats vacant that would normally create a one-seat margin. The Senate holds a 27-23 GOP majority.
The first bill in the package, SB 1294, seeks to crack down on so-called CDL mills that produce undertrained truck driver candidates who pay for their services. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the Biden administration adjusted rules to allow trucking schools to self-certify, creating what he called a problematic dynamic at a recent conference.
The Bottom Line
The Republican-sponsored bills have passed out of Senate committee and face consideration in the GOP-majority upper chamber. Whether they advance further depends on whether Democrats in the narrowly divided House engage on the issue. Shapiro's administration has not dismissed the legislation but has emphasized PennDOT's compliance with existing verification requirements. With key Democratic lawmakers declining to comment, the scope of bipartisan support for the measures remains unclear.