2024-07
Expanding Language Accessibility for Commercial Driver’s Licenses and Facilitating Inclusivity in Commercial Driving Professions
Sponsored by
Del. Deni Taveras (MD)
Reported to the Caucus by the NHCSL Government, Social Justice and Taxation Task Force
Rep. Leonela Felix (RI), Chair
Unanimously ratified by the Caucus on November 23, 2024
WHEREAS, a commercial driver’s license (CDL) is essential for many individuals to secure employment in the transportation sector; and,
WHEREAS, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, who make up a significant portion of CDL holders, earn a median salary of $49,920 in 2022, a significant amount considering that over 90% have a high school diploma or less completed education;[1] and,
WHEREAS, there is a nationwide shortage of truck drivers;[2] and,
WHEREAS, government statistics on intercity, charter, and school bus travel are very limited,[3] however the Economic Policy Institute estimates there were roughly 192,400 bus drivers working in the K-12 system in September 2023,[4] but those were not enough to end what has been described a persistent shortage;[5] and,
WHEREAS, states such as Texas[6], Florida,[7] Arizona,[8] Maryland and New York[9] have implemented CDL exams in Spanish, demonstrating the feasibility and benefits of languages broadening access and facilitating equal opportunities for all residents, regardless of their primary language; and,
WHEREAS, allowing CDL knowledge tests in Spanish supports the transportation industry’s need for qualified drivers by reducing barriers to entry, one of the industry’s main complaints.[10]
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators calls on states to expand language options for the commercial driver’s license knowledge test to include Spanish alongside English as a crucial step towards inclusivity and as a way to reduce the persistent shortages in trucking and school bus driving.
THE NHCSL GOVERNMENT, SOCIAL JUSTICE AND TAXTATION TASK FORCE, AT ITS MEETING OF JULY 8, 2024, UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDED THIS RESOLUTION TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE FOR APPROVAL.
THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED THIS RESOLUTION AT ITS MEETING OF JULY 13, 2024
THE NATIONAL HISPANIC CAUCUS OF STATE LEGISLATORS UNANIMOUSLY RATIFIED THIS RESOLUTION AT ITS ANNUAL MEETING OF NOVEMBER 23, 2024 IN DENVER, COLORADO.
[1] "Trucking Statistics." Accessible at https://www.truckinfo.net/research/trucking-statistics . (“Truck drivers earn a median salary of $49,920, creating great social mobility opportunities”)
[2] American Trucking Associations Blog, FreightWaves gets it wrong on driver shortage (September 3, 2023).
[3] US Department of Transportation, Transportation Statistics Annual Report 2023, p. 2-29.
[4] Hickey, S. M., & Cooper, D. (2023, November 14). The school bus driver shortage remains severe: Without job quality improvements, workers, children, and parents will suffer. Economic Policy Institute. https://www.epi.org/blog/the-school-bus-driver-shortage-remains-severe-without-job-quality-improvements-workers-children-and-parents-will-suffer/
[5] Mervin B. Daugherty, How My District Overcame Our Dire Bus Driver Shortage (Education Week, Nov. 10 2022). And see National Association for Pupil Transportation, National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, and National School Transportation Association. "Findings of School Bus Driver Shortage Survey." Accessible at https://www.napt.org/blog_home.asp?display=53 (“The survey revealed that 51% of respondents described their driver shortage as "severe" or "desperate," and approximately 65% indicated that bus driver shortage is their number one problem or concern”). The National Association for Pupil Transportation has also advocated for a new type of CDL for school bus drivers but the language accessibility discussion in this resolution would equally apply,
[6] Texas Department of Public Safety. (n.d.). Testing in other languages. Testing in Other Languages | Department of Public Safety. https://www.dps.texas.gov/section/driver-license/testing-other-languages#:~:text=DPS%20can%20only%20offer%20the%20commercial%20driver%20license%20(CDL)%20knowledge,by%20a%20skills%20test%20examiner.
[7] “Commercial Driver License.” Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, 3 Feb. 2022, www.flhsmv.gov/driver-licenses-id-cards/commercial-motor-vehicle-drivers/commercial-driver-license/#:~:text=Knowledge%20tests%20are%20offered%20in,the%20administration%20of%20any%20tests
“Written and Verbal Tests.” Written and Verbal Tests | Department of Transportation, Official Website of the State of Arizona , https://azdot.gov/mvd/services/driver-services/written-and-verbal-tests . Accessed 24 June 2024. [8]
[9] New York DMV, Department of Motor Vehicles. https://dmv.ny.gov/driver-license/learner-permit-written-test-and-drivers-manual-different-languages
[10] American Trucking Associations Blog, FreightWaves gets it wrong on driver shortage (September 3, 2023). And see American Trucking Associations. "ATA Chief Economist Pegs Driver Shortage at Historic High." October 25, 2021. Accessed June 3, 2024. https://www.trucking.org/news-insights/ata-chief-economist-pegs-driver-shortage-historic-high (“American Trucking Associations’ Chief Economist Bob Costello said the current driver shortage has risen to 80,000 – an all-time high for the industry”)