HARRISBURG – The Senate has approved a comprehensive package of bills aimed at strengthening commercial vehicle safety standards and closing dangerous loopholes in Pennsylvania’s licensing and training systems, Sen. Scott Hutchinson (R-21) said today.
The measures followed a Senate Transportation Committee fact-finding hearing exposing alarming gaps in current laws, including instances where individuals without proper training or English proficiency have operated heavy commercial vehicles on U.S. highways.
“This commonsense legislative package strengthens safety and accountability on Pennsylvania roadways,” Hutchinson said. “By improving oversight of CDL training, requiring English proficiency for commercial driver testing and imposing penalties for unsafe violations, these measures help keep public safety the top priority.”
Senate Bill 1294 will end commercial driver’s license (CDL) mills by establishing stronger penalties against illegitimate CDL training providers.
Senate Bill 1295 will require English proficiency for all CDL testing, ensuring these drivers can safely operate 80,000-pound commercial vehicles on public highways. While CDL manuals will remain available in multiple languages, all testing will be conducted in English.
Senate Bill 1296 will establish new penalties for out-of-service violations, including operating a commercial vehicle without English comprehension, to remove unsafe drivers from Pennsylvania roads.
Under federal law, states must issue nondomiciled CDLs to lawfully present drivers authorized to work temporarily in the U.S. However, the committee’s hearing revealed that current training and oversight systems lack cohesion and standardization, allowing unqualified training providers — known as CDL mills — to operate recklessly and endanger public safety.
Recent reports have highlighted cases where criminal illegal migrants obtained CDLs without meeting federal requirements, resulting in serious crashes. One was a fatal crash in the state of Indiana involving a Pennsylvania-issued, non-domiciled CDL held by a citizen of Kyrgyzstan.
The bills now go to the House of Representatives for consideration.