Ralph Norman

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Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Hageman for leading this charge. As a proud member of the Congressional Trucking Caucus and as a Member who has had my CDL for 35 years or more, I rise today in recognition of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week and the hardworking men and women who keep America moving. We talk a lot in this Chamber about what makes our economy work. Well, the answer is pretty simple. It takes people who are willing to work. American truck drivers do exactly that. Nearly 3.6 million professional truck drivers are on our roads today, delivering the food on our tables, the medicine in our pharmacies, the materials on our construction sites, and the products that keep American businesses running. In South Carolina, we know just how important these men and women are. Nearly 80 percent of South Carolina communities depend exclusively on trucks to move their goods. Trucks transport nearly 94 percent of our State's manufacturing tonnage, roughly 149,000 tons every single day. There are more than 21,000 trucking companies located in South Carolina. The vast majority of them are small, locally owned businesses. Those numbers tell the story. If the trucks stop moving, South Carolina stops moving. Behind every one of those trucks is a driver. These are men and women who wake up early, work long hours, spend time away from their families, and take on tremendous responsibility every time they get behind the wheel. They do it because there is a job to be done. A lot of times bureaucrats don't understand that, and government should remember that. Truckers already pay licensing fees and taxes while using our roads and bridges that are necessary to do their jobs. We should be making it easier for these hardworking Americans to earn a living, not piling on unnecessary costs and burdens on top. While we stand up for our truck drivers, we also have a responsibility to protect the integrity of the profession. That is why I am proud to cosponsor the SAFE Driving Laws Act. This bill says States should not be handing out driver's licenses or commercial driver's licenses to those who cannot prove that they are a U.S. citizen or have a permanent residency, while at the same time refusing to cooperate with Federal immigration enforcement. States that refuse to follow these basic standards could lose 50 percent of certain Federal highway funding. This is about accountability. A CDL is not just another piece of paper. When someone gets behind the wheel of an 80,000 pound truck, Americans have every right to expect that the driver was properly vetted, properly licensed, and qualified to be on the road. That principle goes far beyond any one bill. More than 72 percent of our Nation's freight tonnage is moved by trucks, and more than 80 percent of American communities rely exclusively on trucks for their freight needs. I thank the truckers in this country from the bottom of my heart. I thank them for the miles they drive. I thank them for the time they spend away from their home. I thank them for everything they do.