Most adults are aware of the requirements for obtaining their driver’s license, which include a birth certificate, identification, and proof of residency. Even more is required of truck drivers. As they are in control of 80,000 pounds of vehicles traveling at highway speeds through traffic and towns, they are expected to be the best of the best. But what happens when the system giving these truck drivers licenses is corrupt? The answer is that you have drivers who cannot operate the vehicle and cannot read street signs, such as ‘keep left’ or ‘no trucks allowed’.
Oklahoma is working with ICE to stop illegal drivers from continuing down the road.
Checking
At weigh stations, authorities review the information provided by truck drivers. Included in this check are bills of lading, truck license and permits, proof of insurance, and the driver’s license. What the Oklahoma state police were finding was a large number of immigrants who could not read the weigh station signs. When brought into the office, the officers found that the names on several driver’s licenses were’ No Name Given.’ Like Missourians, I am sure that the officers wondered how that could be.
Where From?
The driver’s licenses were issued in California and New York. The recipients of these licenses came from various countries, including India, Uzbekistan, China, Russia, Georgia, Turkey, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Mauritania.
Oklahoma’s Governor Stitt said,
If New York wants to hand out CDLs to illegal immigrants with ‘No Name Given,’ that’s on them. The moment they cross into Oklahoma, they answer to our laws [1].
The United States has federal laws that must be obeyed by drivers traveling from one state to another.
Reasons
Oklahoma has recently noticed several large vehicle accidents in the news. The accidents were caused by drivers who cannot read or sometimes speak English. To prevent loss of life to themselves or others, Oklahoma authorities are doing their best to take unsafe drivers off the road.
It is not impossible for foreigners to obtain commercial vehicle licenses. They do need to do it legally, though.
Notes:
- ^ ‘Operation Guardian’: Gov. Stitt says 130 alleged ‘illegal’ commercial truck drivers arrested in sting. (go back ↩)
