Amid growing worries about highway accidents involving drivers who are in the country illegally, Senator Jim Banks from Indiana is starting a “TruckSafe Tipline.” This will let truck drivers share their concerns about those who shouldn’t be on our roads.
Senator Banks said that Indiana is a major transportation hub, and people are being hurt because some drivers shouldn’t be behind the wheel in the first place.
Through this online system, people can share information about trucking companies that might be hiring drivers who are not legally allowed to be in the United States, don’t have the right licenses, or can’t meet English language safety rules.
A member of Banks’ team said that the reports sent to the TruckSafe Tipline will be looked at by the senator’s staff and shared with the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Banks said that if you’re driving a truck on our roads, you need to be here legally, be able to read road signs, and follow the law. He added that the TruckSafe Tipline gives people a way to speak up when they see trucking companies cutting corners and putting lives in danger.
This announcement comes after a truck driver was involved in a serious crash in Indiana that killed four people.
The Department of Homeland Security said that the driver, Bekzhan Beishekeev, came to the U.S. through the CBP One app and was allowed into the country under the current administration’s policies.
Banks’ office also mentioned another fatal accident caused by a driver who was in the country illegally, where an Indiana National Guardsman was killed.
Mike Kucharski, a trucking executive, has also warned that illegal immigrant truck drivers are not only making roads more dangerous but also harming the trucking industry.
Kucharski explained that these drivers can get commercial licenses from certain states, allowing them to charge lower prices and hurting American trucking businesses.
Banks said that American truck drivers are important to the country. He said that trucking companies that hire those who are here illegally, put lives at risk, and lower wages for American drivers are a problem and must be held responsible.
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy agreed, saying that too many lives have been lost and this must stop. He promised to crack down on these companies and investigate the crash that killed four people in Indiana.
