New legislation has been introduced in support of the Trump administration's continued attack on foreign born drivers who do not have legal employment status, and those who do not meet the standards for English language proficiency. The bill introduced in the House also takes aim at carriers that employ drivers who not meet federal requirements.
Rep. Brandon Gill, a Republican from Texas, introduced Barron’s Law to ensure that prople in this country illegally cannot obtain commercial driver's licenses. A statement from the congressman said the legislation would strengthen commercial trucking safety by ensuring drivers have lawful status or proper employment authorization, requiring English-language proficiency testing, crack down on fraud, and impose enhanced penalties on motor carriers that knowingly use ineligible drivers.
This bill is named after 8-year-old Barron Ritchey of Pilot Point, Texas, who was killed in April 2023 on Interstate 35 when a wheel hub and dual tires flew off a tractor-trailer operated by RTD Carriers and struck the Ritchey family’s SUV. The truck's driver, Martin Monreal-Alvarado, had a B-1 visa that expired six months earlier, according to Gill.
“Barron’s death was a heartbreaking and preventable tragedy, his family should never have had to suffer his loss as a result of Democrat-era immigration failures,” said Gill.
The future of the bill is uncertain as the House is in recess until after the mid-term elections Nov. 3, and there is limited time in the session after that.
Driver in fatal crash seeks parole
The driver of the tractor-trailer that caused a fiery crash on Interstate 70 in Colorado in 2019 is asking to be released from prison on parole.
The case drew national attention after Colorado Gov. Jared Polis commuted Rogel Aguilera-Mederos' sentence from 110 years to 10 years.
The crash killed four people and injured several others after Aguilera-Mederos lost control of his truck, which slammed into stopped traffic.
At trial, Aguilera-Mederos testified his truck's brakes failed. Prosecutors argued he was speeding and drove past a runaway truck ramp before crashing.
Keep track of rebuilding bridge
Maryland recently unveiled a new online dashboard for the public to track its progress rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed in March 2024 after a container ship struck it.
It shows the state’s anticipated timeline for four contracts related to finishing demolition of the old structure and setting up the new one over the Patapsco River near the Baltimore harbor. The project’s targeted completion date is late 2030.
The collapse of the bridge has caused headaches for truckers and Baltimore area commuters who continue to take longer detours into and around the city. It temporarily halted freight moving into and out of the port, but shipping traffic resumed after debris was cleared and some dredging was performed.
Bruce Gartner, executive director of the Maryland Transportation Authority, Friday said the state has spent more than $600 million so far on the project.
Gartner said the dashboard will be updated monthly.
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