Three senators have introduced new legislation that heightens the penalties for truckers involved in human trafficking.
According to a press release from the office of Senator John Thune, the new legislation, which was introduced on July 12th, would prevent any truck driver found participating in human trafficking from ever regaining a Commercial Driver’s License.
Presented by Senators Bill Nelson, Amy Klobuchar, and John Thune, the No Human Trafficking On Our Roads Act would “disqualify individuals from operating a commercial motor vehicle for their lifetime if they used a CMV to commit a felony involving human trafficking.”
Nelson, Klobuchar, and Thune also introduced another bill, called the Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act which would increase the FMCSA’s anti-human trafficking educational outreach program. This act would also create a new position at the Department of Transportation, called a ‘Human Trafficking Prevention Coordinator.’
The Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) has opposed the bill and says it “unfairly singles out truckers.”
The trucking organization “expressed concern about the possible precedent this bill creates as it relates to CDL penalties and also said the bill is redundant because of existing criminal penalties for those convicted of human trafficking,” according to an OOIDA press release.