A bill introduced by the Senate’s Commerce Committee this week would permanently disqualify truck drivers from holding a CDL if they’ve been convicted of a human trafficking offense. The legislation part of a two-bill package aimed at combating human trafficking that occurs on U.S. roadways.
The No Human Trafficking on Our Roads Act would institute a lifetime CDL ban on those “who [use] a commercial motor vehicle in committing a felony involving an act of practice [in violation of] the Trafficking Victims Protection Act,” per the bill’s text.
Another bill introduced this week in the Senate’s Commerce Committee, dubbed the Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act, would bolster efforts to educate truck operators on recognizing, reporting and preventing human trafficking.
The bills are being sponsored by Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association this week said that, while it supports national efforts to combat human trafficking, the bill “unfairly singles out truckers,” given that many other professions are used in human trafficking rings.
