Comment from Truckers Movement for Justice

July 2, 2026 Good afternoon, This comment is being on behalf of Truckers Movement for Justice, a bi-national labor organization of truck drivers across all segments of the Industry….We strongly lend our voice(s) to the petition of Ms. Sanchez Vilchis for an exemption to the, as yet not in force due to pending Federal Court litigation, DOT rule regarding immigrant applicants for CDL licenses. The expressed “basis” for implementation of this rule is SAFETY, and yet safety comes from a direct effort of Industry/Government to effect proper training standards, alongside licensing protocols. No such effort has been implemented by either Industry or Government at any level!!! On the contrary ‘fly by night’ training schools have been permitted to operate with little to no oversight by State/Federal agencies, often advertising the student can ‘obtain a CDL in @2 weeks, or less’!! The proliferation of these “schools” in past decade or so, and the false narrative of Industry regarding a ‘driver shortage’ has caused totally unskilled people to take the wheels of both Class B and Class A trucks leading to serious safety concerns….THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ONE’S IMMIGRATION STATUS, It Has To Do With Training and Legitimate Oversight by Government!!! Ms. Sanchez Vilchis is absolutely correct in pointing that various sectors of trucking require highly specialized training such as school bus drivers, hazardous material drivers, RGN, and Flatbed to name a few. This training is usually an on-going process that is updated frequently to keep drivers in the know of new equipment, regulations, etc.. Workers who engage in obtaining this type of Class A/B CDL are invariably very dedicated to their work and take pride in being “highly skilled”!! We should honor their efforts by acknowledging their skills and desire, and the effort/cost it took to obtain these skills!! The simple fact(s) that a worker such as Ms. Sanchez Vilchis is interested in being this type of driver, and gone through the proper channels to learn….should be enough to grant this exemption!!! Let us use this request to begin the real process of building an Industry Apprenticeship Standard that focuses on comprehensive training, supervised by Education professionals, taught by actual truck drivers, and includes all aspects of our Industry!! Thank you for the opportunity to express our opinion. Billy J. Randel Truckers Movement for Justice