FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) — U.S. Senator Jim Banks says the Trump administration is taking aggressive action against truck-driving schools accused of putting unqualified drivers behind the wheel of semi-trucks. More than 100 schools have been ordered to shut down as part of a nationwide investigatio n, according to Banks. During an interview Wednesday on WOWO’s Fort Wayne’s Morning News, Banks said the problem has been building for years and has become a national concern. Banks blamed policies during the Biden administration for allowing immigrants who he says were not qualified to obtain commercial driver’s licenses. “This has become a national crisis,” Banks said. Banks said the administration has decertified more than 100 truck-driving schools that were allegedly issuing certificates improperly and has removed approximately 5,000 drivers from the road who could not speak English. The investigation spans 40 states, according to Banks. He also pointed to the involvement of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana. Banks said Fort Wayne native Adam Mildred, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District, participated in a recent press conference in Detroit outlining the federal crackdown. Banks said the Department of Justice is also targeting companies that hire unqualified drivers. “That’s how we stop the problem,” Banks said. “But we’re not going to stop it until we get every single illegal who shouldn’t be behind the wheel of a semi-truck off the road.” What happens to drivers who already have CDLs? WOWO’s Kayla Blakeslee asked Banks what happens to drivers who already received their commercial driver’s licenses through the trucking schools under investigation. Banks said the administration is working to identify and remove drivers who don’t meet federal requirements. He specifically pointed to drivers who cannot speak English and said they can lose their licenses. Banks also tied the issue to the Biden administration’s handling of Temporary Protected Status, or TPS. He said the Trump administration is reviewing people who were granted TPS and determining whether they should remain in the United States. Banks said some people who received TPS and cannot speak English have also obtained CDL licenses. Banks pushes ‘Delilah Law’ Banks is also pushing legislation he calls the Delilah Law, named after a young girl who was seriously injured after being hit by a truck driven by an illegal immigrant. Banks said Delilah was five years old when she was struck and continues to deal with the consequences of the crash. He said Delilah recently underwent another surgery and that her father has become an advocate for tougher trucking regulations. Banks said the legislation would establish permanent restrictions intended to prevent unqualified drivers from obtaining commercial driver’s licenses. “Pass my bill, the Delilah Law, and permanently crack down on this,” Banks said. He said the goal is to make the policies being implemented by the Trump administration permanent law, rather than relying solely on executive authority. Banks says Democrats blocking Senate action Blakeslee asked Banks where the Delilah Law currently stands. Banks said the legislation has significant Republican support and has been introduced in the House, but he said he has not been able to secure Democratic support in the Senate. “I can’t get a single Democrat in the United States Senate to support it,” Banks said. Banks said he believes every Republican senator would support the legislation and argued that requiring drivers to speak English and meet the necessary qualifications to obtain a CDL is a matter of common sense. “You should have to speak English to pass the test, to get a CDL, to drive a semi-truck,” Banks said. The legislation would need to overcome the Senate filibuster before it could advance toward a vote. Banks said he intends to continue pushing the legislation and called on Congress to act following crashes involving unqualified commercial drivers. The post Banks: Trump Administration Cracking Down on Trucking Schools, Unqualified CDL Drivers appeared first on WOWO News/Talk 92.3 FM and 1190 AM. ...read more read less