During Tuesday night's State of the Union address, President Donald Trump called on Congress to pass the "Dalilah Law"—named in honor of Dalilah Coleman—a bill that bars any state from granting commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) to illegal immigrants.
"Dalilah Coleman was only five years old in June 2024 when an 18-wheel tractor-trailer, traveling at 60 miles an hour or more, plowed into her stopped car," Trump recalled. "Many, if not most, illegal aliens do not speak English and cannot read even the most basic road signs regarding direction, speed, danger, or location... The driver was an illegal alien, let in by Joe Biden and given a commercial driver’s license by open-borders politicians in California."
The driver, an illegal alien from India, Partap Singh, allegedly entered the U.S. through Mexico in October 2022. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) Traffic Crash Report states that Singh drove at an unsafe speed and failed to stop for traffic and a construction zone.
Dalilah Coleman and her father, Marcus, during President Donald Trump's State of the Union address in the Capitol Tuesday night.
Dalilah Coleman attended the State of the Union address Tuesday night with her father, Marcus. In a post to his X (formerly Twitter) account, Marcus Coleman noted that the particulars of the Dalilah Law include at least one element geared toward slowing chameleon carriers. Under Trump's proposed law, Coleman said, all commercial vehicles would be required "to have a permanent business name that is reflective, can be visible up to 100 feet, and is not magnetized without a permit. Hotshot operators and those wishing to have a magnetized DOT number must file for a permit that will be granted per VIN and linked to their specific DOT number."
"Dalilah’s Law will include all Commercial Drivers, this includes “For-Hire” drivers as well. Amazon, Lyft, Uber, DoorDash, Walmart," he added in a different post to X. "Everyone will be included in the practice of safer roads and a safer America."
Coleman also said Dalilah’s Law would require applicants for DOT numbers to submit fingerprints to establish a new DOT number, with the intent of stopping people from establishing a new business “if your previous authority and or insurance was revoked due to bad practices.”
Donald Trump's Department of Transportation has indeed launched numerous reforms of the commercial licensing process.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy earlier this week declared that all truck and bus drivers will be required to take CDL tests in English. CDL drivers will now receive an out-of-service (OOS) order if they fail a roadside English Language Proficiency (ELP) test, following President Trump’s Feb. 3 signing of a bill that codified his ELP executive order into law.
The administration has also targeted non-domiciled CDL holders and that licensing process. Earlier this month, it passed the "Restoring Integrity to the Issuance of Non-Domiciled Commercial Driver’s Licenses" rule, calling for:
- CDL eligibility changes: Eligibility is limited to H-2A, H-2B, and E-2 nonimmigrant status holders who undergo enhanced interagency vetting.
- Elimination of EADs: Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) are no longer accepted as proof of eligibility due to what the agency called "systemic noncompliance" by State Driver’s Licensing Agencies (SDLAs). Applicants must now present an unexpired foreign passport and specific Form I-94 documentation.
- Mandatory SAVE verification: States must query the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system to confirm every applicant's lawful immigration status.
What is the Dalilah Law?
The bill, introduced by Indiana Senator Jim Banks on Wednesday, would restrict CDL issuance to U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and a narrow group of non-immigrants holding specific work visas, such as E-2 (Treaty investors), H-2A (Temporary agricultural workers), and H-2B (Temporary non-agricultural workers).
For fleet managers, the most immediate impact would be a mandatory 180-day recertification window for CDL holders. Under the proposed law, states would be required to verify that every existing CDL holder meets the new citizenship or visa standards, demonstrates English proficiency, and has passed all written and skills tests in English.
The bill also calls for the Secretary of Transportation to disqualify an individual from operating a CMV for life if they operate a vehicle without the required citizenship, residency, or visa status (unless they possess specific travel authorizations or admission records).
The text of Banks' bill does not mention any efforts to directly combat chameleon carriers through the Dalilah Law, or its applicability to gig-economy companies like Doordash, Uber or Lyft.
