Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Department of Homeland Security chief Markwayne Mullin on Tuesday announced results of a major joint effort to remove "unqualified foreign drivers operating big rigs" from the road.
The second wave of Operation Highway Shield took place from July 28-30 across freight corridors in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Ohio. The first wave was back in late March in Florida.
"Working alongside state highway patrols, inspectors from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Immigration & Customs Enforcement, and Homeland Security Investigations conducted roadside checks to crack down on illegal, unvetted drivers and unsafe vehicles," reads a press release from USDOT.
"Scales were full," Michelle Kitchin, a company driver who witnessed the action in late July told Overdrive. "Highway patrol hammering just trucks on I-80."
The three-day effort resulted in law enforcement taking the following actions, according to the release:
- Detained 51 illegal immigrants, including 21 drivers with non-domiciled CDLs issued by California and New York.
- Placed 766 drivers and vehicles out of service.
- Arrested 86 operators for dangerous behavior (including road rage and domestic violence).
- Issued 36 violations for failing English Language Proficiency tests.
- Recovered nearly $1 million in stolen cargo.
The enforcement blitz represented one piece of a partnership between DOT and DHS, which has also moved against shady CDL schools.
In July, FMCSA identified "approximately 75 entry-level driving training schools suspected of fraudulent activities, including using improper driver certifications, falsifying training records, and failing to properly train drivers applying for CDLs, among other violations."
Overall, partnership with DHS has long represented a major pillar of DOT's enforcement efforts in the trucking industry.
On Tuesday, DOT released the National Roadway Safety Strategy, which aims at "restoring safety to our roads by getting back to basics, including partnering with law enforcement to get dangerous drivers off the road."
The strategy said DOT will enhance "and expand commercial motor vehicle enforcement to improve the impact of roadside safety inspections, reduce crash risk in high-crash corridors" and also "end dangerous commercial trucking practices for good" by partnering with law enforcement.
“Every life lost from an illegal trucker behind the wheel of a big rig is a completely preventable tragedy -- and this administration will not stand for it,” said Secretary Duffy. "Our new partnership with DHS builds on President Trump’s progress to secure our roads, eliminate fraud, and restore the integrity of trucking in America."
While FMCSA effort to ban non-citizen drivers from CDL eligibility heads to a major test in court next month, the partnership with DHS represents a more direct approach to removing non-domiciled drivers: Detention and deportation.
[Related: How non-domiciled drivers will try to get FMCSA's CDL ban thrown out]
In January, DHS said that already "nearly 3 million illegal aliens have left the U.S." including "an estimated 2.2 million self-deportations and more than 675,000 deportations.”
Since then, media reports have indicated DHS Secretary Mullin wants 3,000 detentions each day, up from an average of around 2,000 under the previous DHS secretary.
“When illegal aliens are behind the wheels of semi-trucks, they are putting American lives in danger,” said DHS Mullin. “With the latest wave of Operation Highway Shield, DHS and our partners at the Department of Transportation have removed more than 800 dangerous truckers from our roadways, including more than 50 illegal aliens and more than 30 drivers who failed English Language Proficiency tests."
FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs has made a complete overhaul of trucking's "self-certification" model for CDL schools, ELDs and medical provders his personal mission to send a message to bad actors in trucking.
"As a former state trooper who has walked these highways at 2 a.m., I've seen firsthand the devastation caused when bad actors cut corners or use commercial trucks as cover for illegal activity," said Barrs, attended the Indiana portion of the blitz.
"We are taking the fight directly to corrupt dispatch rings, manipulated logbooks, and unqualified drivers who threaten law-abiding truckers and everyday commuters alike," he said. "If you are operating legally, we are here to support you. If you are cheating the system and endangering Americans, Operation Highway Shield is coming for your keys."
