The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee voted on March 18 to advance Dalilah’s Law, which is aimed at strengthening commercial driver’s license (CDL) requirements and improving highway safety.

Rep. David Rouzer (R-NC), chairman of the Highways and Transit subcommittee, is the lead sponsor of the legislation. It was introduced after President Donald Trump called on Congress to act during the State of the Union speech last month. 

Dalilah’s Law aims to improve safety and CDL policies by:

• Ensuring all CDL holders understand English, road signs, and law enforcement officers.
• Placing drivers who fail to meet the law’s requirements and safety standards out of service.
• Requiring states to verify that they are not issuing CDLs to illegal immigrants.
• Increasing penalties for states failing to comply with the law by withholding federal funds.
• Banning shady foreign dispatch services and brokers, who have fueled a surge in freight fraud and cargo theft.
• Cracking down on “CDL mills” to ensure drivers entering the industry are receiving adequate training.

“This is commonsense legislation that requires all truck drivers on our roads to be able to read and speak English, strengthens laws related to issuing CDLs, and ensures that states are following and enforcing those laws and requirements,” said Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Prior to the hearing, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urged passage of the law. “Unqualified and unvetted foreigners have no business getting behind the wheel of an 80,000-pound vehicle and killing innocent American families,” he said. 

Numerous trucking groups, including the American Trucking Associations and the Owner-Operators Independent Drivers Association, have spoken out in support of the legislation. 

Dalilah’s Law must still be approved by the full U.S. House and the Senate before it can be sent to Trump for his signature.