Three southern Republican senators have introduced a new piece of legislation that would, if signed into law, expressly prohibit states from granting commercial driver's licenses to people from other countries in the U.s. without proper documentation.
The bill, titled the Secure Commercial Driver Licensing Act of 2025, was announced late last week. It's sponsored by Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas; Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a Republican from Arkansas; and Sen. Bill Hagerty, a Republican from Tennessee.
Kentucky Rep. Andy Barr from Kentucky introduced a companion bill in the House last week.
These are the latest bills aimed at English language proficiency and the issuance of CDLs. Recently, Sen. Cynthia Lummis, a Republican from Wyoming, introduced the Senate version of Connor’s Law, a bill implementing President Trump’s Executive Order from earlier this year requiring CDL drivers to demonstrate fundamental English skills to receive driving licenses in the United States. It requires drivers who do not meet those requirements be placed out of service.
A statement from Barr said, "The legislation ... holds states accountable that refuse to follow federal law and prevent these licenses from going to illegal immigrants."
The bill is the latest reaction to an accident in August when three people died when their minivan struck a tractor-trailer making an illegal u-turn on the Florida Turnpike. The driver of that truck, a. native of Indian, entered the U.S. illegally from Mexico in 2018, but was issued CDLs by Washington and California.
“For everyone’s safety, you must be able to read and understand English road signs when operating a commercial vehicle. Our bill would require commercial drivers to pass the test given in English,” said Cotton.
The Secure Commercial Driver Licensing Act would:
- Require all testing related to the issuance or renewal of a commercial driver’s license, including non-domiciled CDLs, to be conducted only in English
- Empower the Secretary of Transportation to suspend or revoke a state’s authority to issue non-domiciled CDLs if found non-compliant with federal standards
- Require individuals to hold a standard driver’s license for one year before obtaining a CDL
“If you drive a truck in the United States, you should be able to speak English fluently," said Tuberville. "This protects our law enforcement officers and the general public. This is not only about safety and efficiency – it’s just commonsense."
Text of the bill can be found here.
