Sen. Ashley Moody introduces legislation to crack down on foreign-born truck drivers

U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody is pushing for a new federal law that would require commercial truck drivers to prove U.S. residency and English proficiency before being issued a license, seizing on last month's arrest of a foreign-born truck driver charged in a crash that left three people dead.

She introduced her bill — the "Safer Truckers Act" — on Wednesday.

The proposed legislation follows the fatal crash on the Florida Turnpike north of West Palm Beach on Aug. 12 involving Harjinder Singh, a 28-year-old from India.

He was driving a semitruck and tried to make a wide left U-turn across the highway median, which left his trailer blocking the northbound lane, according to police. The minivan behind Singh wasn’t able to avoid the truck in time, killing the driver and two passengers. Singh and a passenger in his truck were uninjured.

Singh has been charged with three state counts of vehicular homicide and immigration violations.

READ MORE: Truck driver from India accused in fatal crash brought back to Florida and is denied bond

Florida authorities say Singh entered the U.S. illegally from Mexico in 2018. However, California officials say the federal government told them he was in the country legally with a work permit when they issued him a driver’s license.

The crash has become a national political flashpoint over immigration, trucking safety and millions of dollars in federal funding for several states.

Moody said her proposed legislation is designed to make sure such crashes do not happen again by requiring commercial driver's license holders be U.S. citizens or legal permanent U.S. residents. And require states to report to the federal government their efforts to uphold English proficiency requirements among truck drivers.

“If you're a commercial truck driver in America, being able to competently read the road signs in English isn't optional, it's the job,” Moody said.

The bill would also require states that don't follow the proposed guidelines to forfeit federal funding.

Moody's proposal is supported by the trucking industry.

“Sen. Moody's proposal will close loopholes that have allowed unauthorized and unqualified drivers to operate heavy commercial vehicles and reinforce the integrity of our licensing system improving security on America's highways,” said Al Miller, a spokesperson for the Florida Trucking Association, in a statement shared by Moody's Senate staff.

The crash happened two months after President Donald Trump ‘s executive order increased the penalty for commercial drivers who can’t show English proficiency.

Federal transportation department officials said Singh failed a roadside inspection in New Mexico because he couldn’t read or understand English well enough to meet federal standards.

But the New Mexico governor’s office said police body-camera video shows Singh speaking in broken English, following instructions and asking about the citation for driving 10 mph above the speed limit.

Duffy says the English rules are about safety not politics, because drivers engaged in interstate commerce need to understand road signs and be able to communicate with law enforcement.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.