Barron’s Law

Section 2: Requires commercial driver's license applicants to be U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, or otherwise authorized under Federal law to engage in employment that includes driving a commercial motor vehicle, which ensures that only legally authorized individuals operate these vehicles.

Section 3: Requires States to mandate that each commercial driver's license applicant pass a standardized English language proficiency assessment before issuance or renewal, ensuring drivers can safely read road signs, understand emergency communications, and complete required documentation.

Section 4: Prohibits chameleon carriers by denying registration to applicants whose previous registrations were revoked within the past three years, which prevents unsafe operators from hiding their compliance history under a new corporate identity.

Section 5: Establishes heavy civil penalties of at least $25,000, or at least $100,000 if it results in serious injury or death, for motor carriers that knowingly employ or contract with ineligible operators, holding employers accountable for who they put behind the wheel.

Section 6: Prohibits foreign motor carriers from engaging in unauthorized domestic point-to-point transportation within the United States, protecting domestic transportation standards and penalizing violators with up to $100,000 per vehicle daily.

Section 4: Imposes criminal penalties, including a fine of up to $25,000, imprisonment for up to one year, or both, for any person who knowingly makes a materially false statement, conceals a material relationship, or uses a successor entity to evade federal motor safety sanctions.

Section 6: Mandates that the Secretary of Transportation withhold 10 percent of certain federal highway funds from any State that fails to cooperate with federal authorities in enforcing cabotage restrictions, which could reduce transportation funding for noncompliant States.