The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is pressing Congress to hard-wire safety into the next highway bill, urging lawmakers to scrap what it calls “unsafe” CDL waivers and exemptions and to resist policies that expand the driver pool at the expense of training and qualifications. In a message delivered this week, OOIDA argued that the industry’s problem isn’t a shortage of people with CDLs, but chronic churn fueled by putting underprepared drivers into difficult jobs during a prolonged freight slump.
OOIDA’s push arrived alongside a detailed letter dated Oct. 20 to transportation leaders on Capitol Hill. The group urges support for the Non‑Domiciled CDL Integrity Act and opposition to lower‑age interstate driving proposals such as the DRIVE‑Safe Act, contending those measures would intensify turnover and erode safety benchmarks. The association’s message: stop chasing “cheap labor” and instead tighten training, licensing and qualification standards so only competent drivers are dispatched.
The backdrop is a fast‑moving enforcement fight over English‑language proficiency. California, which just lost a slice of federal safety funding, is publicly disputing the U.S. Department of Transportation’s stance that states must check English proficiency during roadside inspections. State officials say they already require English‑only testing at the licensing stage and argue there’s no federal mandate for a roadside check; federal officials counter that out‑of‑service enforcement at the roadside is the way to make the rule real. That tug‑of‑war escalated again on Oct. 20, underscoring how Congress will be legislating amid an active regulatory crosswind.
On the ground, carriers and drivers are feeling that crosswind. A Texas fleet executive told FreightWaves that intensified English‑proficiency enforcement has stoked confusion and fear among bilingual and immigrant drivers, with thousands reportedly sidelined since the summer rollout of out‑of‑service penalties. That climate, OOIDA argues, is exactly why Congress should center reauthorization on clear, competency‑based rules — and avoid shortcuts that simply swell headcount.
Why it matters for fleets and owner‑operators: a safety‑first reauthorization would ripple through hiring pipelines, training budgets and route planning. Eliminating waivers and tightening entry standards would likely reduce rapid onboarding of inexperienced drivers, but it could also stabilize operations by lowering crash exposure and insurance risk. Conversely, if Congress leans into headcount‑driven policies, carriers may see temporary capacity relief offset by higher turnover, greater coaching loads for driver managers, and potentially more variability in safety performance — outcomes that can widen bid‑ask spreads and compress margins in today’s soft freight market.
What to watch next: reauthorization text that clarifies the status of roadside English checks; any House or Senate movement on the Non‑Domiciled CDL Integrity Act; and whether committee leaders codify stronger baselines for entry‑level training. Fleets should audit driver qualification files and language‑support practices, refresh supervisory training on ELP enforcement, and model workforce needs assuming longer ramp‑ups for new entrants. For small carriers and independents, aligning with tighter standards now — even before Congress acts — is the surest way to avoid costly surprises later.
Sources: FreightWaves, Transport Topics, CDLLife
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