Republican senator launches TruckSafe Tipline to report “unlawful” trucking networks and drivers
Key takeaways
- Senator Banks launched the TruckSafe Tipline to report carriers and drivers potentially not meeting federal trucking requirements.
- Reports are sent to DOT and the Office of Inspector General for review.
- Recent crashes in Indiana highlight the potential safety risks when drivers or carriers fail to comply with regulatory standards.
Jim Banks, a Republican senator for Indiana, recently launched the TruckSafe Tipline to provide a channel for reporting carriers employing or contracting with drivers who may not be legally authorized to operate commercial vehicles or meet English-language safety standards. The program, which is intended for trucking industry participants, forwards reports to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and its Office of Inspector General for review.
The tipline comes after several recent crashes in Indiana involving drivers who were allegedly in the U.S. without proper authorization. Reports indicate that carriers connected to these incidents are under investigation by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) for potential regulatory violations, including the practice of changing company names and DOT numbers.
“Indiana is the Crossroads of America, and Hoosiers are getting killed because drivers who shouldn’t be here in the first place are behind the wheel,” Banks stated. “If you’re driving a truck on our roads, you need to be legal, you need to be able to read traffic signs, and you need to follow the law. The TruckSafe Tipline gives people on the ground a way to speak up when they see carriers cutting corners and putting lives at risk.”
