“I want to praise truckers. They help our country a lot. But I say foreign drivers are bad. They are not qualified. They drive down wages. They cause deadly crashes. Some states allowed this. Wyoming has the highest fatal truck crash rate. I say this is a big problem. I have five bills to fix this. One requires English tests. One targets bad trucking companies. One lets young drivers cross state lines. One withholds funds from noncompliant states. I want my bills to pass. I want to support American truckers and keep everyone safe.”

“American truckers keep our country moving, but they face unfair competition and dangerous roads. Some states have given licenses to unqualified foreign drivers who lower wages and cause deadly crashes. I introduced five bills to fix this. My bills require truck drivers to speak and test in English, stop unsafe companies from hiding behind new names, let 18-to-20-year-old drivers cross state lines, and cut funding to states that break license safety rules. Congress should pass these bills to protect American truckers and keep drivers safe.”

“Mr. Speaker, I am here and we have gathered this evening to talk about Trucker Appreciation Week. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the unsung heroes who spend their days hauling the American Dream across our Nation's highways. America's truckers are the men and women who keep America moving. They drive for hours on end to make sure that our shelves are stocked. They rush in to deliver lifesaving supplies when disaster strikes. They keep our industries running by delivering the raw materials needed to build our country. Simply put, truckers are the reason Americans have and continue to live in an era of unprecedented prosperity. Unfortunately, our truckers face challenges from the lingering consequences of years of open borders and political leaders who flooded the Nation's highways with unqualified, foreign drivers who undercut our homegrown American labor. These new foreign drivers not only undermine wages and opportunities for American truckers but exacerbate the shortage of infrastructure to keep our goods moving. Worst of all, however, are the deadly crashes caused by these unqualified drivers who have been killing Americans, all of which have been made possible by the intentional decision of some to disregard commonsense Federal safety standards. The highway tragedies that have become so ubiquitous in the last couple of years have shone a spotlight on those collisions that could have been prevented but for the decisions by States like California, New York, and Illinois to unleash tens of thousands of unqualified drivers on our American freeways. These high-speed, 80,000-pound guided missiles have been barreling down our highways at 80 miles an hour, leaving way too many victims in their wake, and these illegally licensed drivers who have killed our fellow American residents simply have no business being on our roads. My home State of Wyoming, home to snow-covered and windswept highways built at elevations higher than the Sierra Nevada, suffers the highest rate of fatal truck crashes of any State. Threats to drivers anywhere are threats to families everywhere. The status quo is unacceptable, and it is time to prioritize our hardworking American truckers while keeping every motorist safe. I have introduced a series of bills to clean up our roads and crack down on bad actors who are exploiting loopholes in the system. I introduced the Commercial Motor Vehicle English Proficiency Act to require that all testing for commercial driver's licenses be administered in English. I also introduced Connor's Law with Representative Dave Taylor to codify the Trump administration's reinstatement of longstanding English proficiency requirements for anyone getting behind the wheel of a big rig. Understanding our national language to read our signs, adhere to warnings about hazardous conditions, and communicate with law enforcement should be the bare minimum to operate a commercial vehicle. I introduced the SAFE Act, included in this year's surface transportation reauthorization package, to enhance the ability of Federal regulators to effectively detect and crack down on chameleon carriers. Chameleon carriers are those that rack up safety violations yet continue to operate by adopting new identities to drive under the radar. The SAFE Act has been endorsed by nearly a dozen major industry advocates, including the American Trucking Association, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, Teamsters, Truckload Carriers Association, Truck Safety Coalition, American Truckers United, National Tank Truck Carriers, Transportation Intermediaries Association, and American Bus Association. I also introduced the ROUTE Act to expand opportunities for young CDL holders to operate across State lines. Right now, an 18-year-old licensed to carry a load and travel 450 miles from Cheyenne to Jackson, Wyoming, is prohibited from making the same trip just 45 miles to Fort Collins, Colorado, because the latter journey crosses State lines. Easing nonsensical regulatory barriers will help bring more young people into a promising profession without the burden of a costly college degree. I most recently introduced the STOP Improper Licensing Act, requiring continued oversight of States issuing non-domiciled CDLs to drivers, ensuring that standards are properly adhered to. This bill withholds funds for any States refusing to comply with commonsense Federal safety standards. America's truckers make our modern life possible, and they have improved our standard of living. They deserve leadership and support to make their profession safe and profitable. By working together and passing this series of pieces of legislation, the Wild West of trucking undermining American truckers and threatening our families will finally be over. I thank my colleagues for participating in this evening's Special Order, and I thank the Congressional Trucking Caucus and the group's chairman, Congressman Dave Taylor of Ohio, for collaborating on these issues. I also thank the industry groups which have supported our efforts to get critical legislation past the finish line to lift the men and women who keep America moving. I thank every truck driver in this great country. We appreciate them and what they do for us. I now yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Taylor) to address the body.”

“I want to thank truckers. Truckers work hard. They deliver many things every year. They are very important. I helped start a group about trucking. We have ideas for truckers. We talked about a safety campaign. That's good. Thank you truckers.”

“This is National Truck Driver Appreciation Week. I want to thank American truck drivers. They deliver our food, medical supplies, and other daily goods across the country.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week. It was established in 1988 by the American Trucking Association. This week gives communities across the United States a chance to honor the dedication truck drivers bring to their careers and the impact they have on our communities. Truck drivers are critical to the United States' supply chain, often being the last mode of transportation delivering food to grocery stores, medical supplies to hospitals, and other vital goods to our constituents which they rely on every day. Virtually every time you purchase something, you can thank a truck driver for making it possible. Annually, truck drivers haul more than 11 billion tons of goods and navigate over 330 billion miles across the United States, rain or shine, day and night, to ensure communities have access to the items we need. Along with some of my colleagues, I am proud to have founded the first Congressional Trucking Caucus to provide a forum for lawmakers in Congress to suggest ideas and policies to support truck drivers across the United States. Earlier this year, the caucus introduced a resolution highlighting the administration's ``Our Roads, Our Safety'' campaign to promote safety tips on our Nation's roadways to keep all drivers safe. I thank Congresswoman Hageman for hosting this Special Order hour and members of the Congressional Trucking Caucus who came today to highlight truck drivers. Lastly, I thank our American truck drivers for their hard work and dedication and recognize the role they play in our great Nation.”

“I like truckers. Truckers are good. They deliver many things. Truckers are very important. They work hard. They spend a lot of time away from their families. I have a CDL. I am in the trucking group. My state has many truckers and trucking companies. The government should make it easier for truckers. The government should not make truckers pay too much. The government should make sure truckers are citizens or legal residents. They should be checked. I want my bill to pass. The bill would stop giving CDLs to people who are not citizens or legal residents. The bill would take away highway money from states that do not follow the rules. That is good. People should be safe. Thank you truckers.”

“I am thanking our nation's truck drivers for keeping our economy moving. The government should lower their taxes and fees to make their jobs easier. I also support a bill to stop states from giving commercial driver's licenses to people who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents.”

“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.”

“I like truckers. Truckers are good. I know truckers. I was in trucking. Trucking is hard. Truckers work a lot. Truckers are away from home a lot. Truckers are important. We need good truckers. Good truckers are safe. They deliver many things. Truckers miss a lot with their families. Their families make sacrifices too. Thank you truckers.”

“This is National Truck Drivers Appreciation Week. I grew up in a trucking family, so I know how hard the job is. Drivers spend long hours away from their families to deliver the goods we need every day. I want to thank our truck drivers and their families for their hard work.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of National Truck Drivers Appreciation Week. This week means some very special things to me. I know this business firsthand. I was born and raised in the trucking business. My grandfather started a trucking business in 1933. My dad and my uncle moved and grew that business, and I spent my life growing up in that business. I drove my first tractor-trailer across a lot when I was 9 years old. Now, I also first drove my first end-loader through the side of a new garage at about 6, but that is another story. I spent my whole life around the trucking industry. I went off to the Marine Corps, but I came back home and ran the business for 10 years. My brother and my cousin now run it still. It started out as W.J. Bost & Sons, and it is now Bost Trucking. I grew up in it, from washing trucks to I have never had a car license. When I was 16 years old, I got my license as a tractor-trailer license because it was before CDLs. Therefore, I started delivering goods and running and working in the business. I know the business well. It is not an easy job. It is early mornings. It is late nights. It is long stretches far from home and a whole lot of responsibility. That is another reason why we need to make sure that the people who are doing it are well trained, are people who understand our language, who understand what it is to speak that language, and understand, when you are rolling down the road, how to be safe with 80,000 pounds-plus of vehicle. During this National Truck Drivers Appreciation Week, I say a special thank you to the hardworking men and women behind the wheel, but I also want to say a special thank you to their families. Remember, those men and women behind the wheel, they miss a whole lot of baseball games, football games, basketball games, school plays, and Christmas concerts in grade school. They miss those things because they are making sure that those goods and services that we need every day are there when we walk into the grocery store or the auto parts store. Oh, when we go shopping for cars, those cars that are sitting there, and every other good that is in every business that we go into has been on somebody's truck, moving from point A to point B. They are sacrificing their time. Yes, they get paid, but some of those things they give up can't be gotten back, like time with their families. We do want to say thank you to them for every mile they drive. Thank you for supplying all of these store shelves and growing our economy, and thank you for keeping America moving every single day.”

“Trucking is important. Trucking creates many jobs. Trucking moves many things. Trucking keeps our economy going. I want to praise truckers. But some truckers are illegal. Some states give licenses to illegals. My state does that too. That is bad. It is not safe. It hurts legal truckers. Illegal truckers are bad for everyone. I formed a group to work on trucking issues. I want to help legal truckers. I want to keep roads safe.”

“Truck drivers are vital to our economy and our daily lives. I am thanking them today. I also want Congress to pass stronger licensing rules for commercial drivers. Some states, including Illinois, give commercial driver's licenses to immigrants who are in the country illegally. This makes our roads dangerous and hurts honest American trucking businesses.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend and colleague from Wyoming, Representative Hageman, for hosting this important Special Order. Mr. Speaker, I rise today representing central Illinois, a region that sits at the crossroads of our Nation's transportation network. Illinois is one of our Nation's most important hubs for interstate commerce, driven in large part by a thriving trucking industry. Trucking supports nearly 340,000 jobs in my home State. Ninety-five percent of Illinois' manufactured goods are transported by trucks. Seventy percent of the State's towns and communities depend exclusively on trucks to move their products. Looking at the combined total of all commercial shipments, Illinois is the third busiest freight State and fourth by tonnage. With that type of volume comes an enormous responsibility to keep our roads and transported goods safe. I believe this is a matter of national security. Every American deserves to travel our roads without the threat of an illegal alien behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle who cannot understand road signs. Congress has a duty and an obligation to ensure our laws establish strong standards for commercial drivers and give law enforcement the tools necessary to keep unqualified drivers off our roads. Multiple sanctuary States, including my home State of Illinois, are issuing driver's licenses and CDLs to illegals. This creates an extreme level of risk for all those on the road. The consequences can be deadly. Last year, an Illinois-based company, JKC Trucking, sounded the alarm about the rampant abuse of our licensing system and the growing threat of illegal truckers on American roads. The company showed this issue not only leads to decreased safety, but also leads to the closure of many honest, professional American trucking businesses because they are unable to compete against illegal companies and illegal drivers. Those are the men and women I want to recognize today, the professional truck drivers who don't cut corners, who work long hours to make sure our communities have what they need. The food on grocery store shelves, medicine and prescription drugs in our pharmacies, the materials used to build our homes all depend on a reliable trucking industry. America moves forward because of our truckers. America survives its harshest winters and hottest summers because of our truckers. These men and women are often away from their families for days or weeks at a time, all so communities like mine are well stocked and ready for the day ahead. They deserve a Congress that respects their work and stands up for an industry that is essential to our economy and our way of life. I want to pay a special thanks to Representatives Taylor, Hageman, Harrigan, and Figures for joining me in launching the bipartisan Congressional Trucking Caucus. For the first time in U.S. history, we have a caucus focused directly on addressing the issues related to America's trucking industry and on policies that promote integrity, safety, and growth in industry. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the caucus to defend our hardworking American truckers and to keep our roads safe. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Hageman for her continued friendship and leadership on this issue.”

“Truckers work hard. They move a lot of goods. Many jobs depend on truckers. Truckers are important for farming. Truckers deliver food and fuel. Truckers work long hours. I want to thank truckers. They keep our economy going.”

“I am thanking truck drivers during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week. They work hard to deliver food, fuel, and goods across the country, and our farmers and small towns depend on them.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Wyoming, my friend, for hosting this well-deserved recognition for a group of fantastic people. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize National Truck Driver Appreciation Week and the hardworking men and women who keep Kansas and our great country moving. Across America, 3.6 million professional truck drivers spend their days on the road delivering the food, fuel, equipment, and countless goods that families and businesses rely on every day. In Kansas, the trucking industry supports roughly 84,000 jobs, one out of every 14 jobs in our State. Trucks move 63 percent of Kansas freight by tonnage, including more than $21 billion worth of beef and poultry. For an agriculture State like Kansas, this is especially vital. Our farmers and ranchers raise the best wheat, corn, sorghum, cattle, and other commodities in the world, but we still need dependable truck drivers and reliable roads to get those products to markets across the country and around the globe. Nearly one-half of Kansas communities rely exclusively on trucks to move their goods. In rural communities throughout the Big First District, truck drivers are a critical link connecting farms, ranches, small businesses, manufacturers, and families with the rest of America. Their work often means long hours, early mornings, late nights, and days spent away from their families, yet they continue showing up and delivering for the rest of us. During National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, I say thank you to the professional drivers in Kansas and across the country who keep our supply chains moving, our rural communities connected, and our economy running. We appreciate all that they do.”

“Truckers work hard. They move goods. They spend time away from their families. I want to thank truckers. I talked with truckers and trucking businesses. Truckers who follow rules should not have to compete with those who break them. All truck drivers should be trained and licensed properly. Everyone deserves to get home safely.”

“This is National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, and I want to thank our truck drivers. They work long hours to deliver the goods we need. We also must make sure every commercial driver is properly trained and follows safety rules so everyone on the road gets home safely.”

“Mr. Speaker, Indiana is the Crossroads of America. This National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, and I thank the professional drivers who deliver what our farms grow, our factories make, and our families need. They work long hours, they miss time with their families, and they take seriously the responsibility that comes with driving a big rig. Last month, I hosted our Nation's top trucking safety official in Indiana to hear directly from our Hoosier drivers and trucking businesses. Truckers who follow the rules of the road shouldn't have to compete with operators who cut corners, and the families traveling beside them deserve to know that every commercial driver is properly trained, licensed, and qualified. Whether someone is behind the wheel of a semi or riding in the family car, they deserve to get home safely. To the drivers who make that their business every day, I thank you.”

“I want to thank Representative Shreve. I thank truck drivers and trucking companies. I want to talk about Wyoming. I talked with some family-owned trucking companies in Wyoming. One company is very old. They used horses and wagons in the 1800s. Wyoming has dangerous roads. I-80 crosses Wyoming. It is a high road. Sometimes it is closed because of snow and wind. Truck drivers are often first at accidents. They move goods. They need to read road signs. Truck drivers do hard and dangerous work. They deliver goods across the country. Again, I thank truck drivers. I yield my time.”

“This is Trucker Appreciation Week. I am thanking our truck drivers, especially those who drive through dangerous weather on Wyoming highways to keep goods moving across the country.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Shreve for his words. In summary, I think that the message to be taken away this evening, Mr. Speaker, is that we all have an enormous amount of respect for our trucking companies and our truck drivers who make this country run. I have just a few anecdotes about Wyoming. We are the least populated State in the Nation. We became a State in 1890. I have had the opportunity to meet with several family-owned businesses in Wyoming, family-owned trucking companies. One of them was one of the very first trucking companies that was ever formed in the State in the late 1800s. They used horses and wagons to haul goods from the oil fields to their destination. This is a family-owned business for over 130 years. Another interesting tidbit about Wyoming is that we can have terribly treacherous roads. I-80 crosses Wyoming. It is one of the longest continental highways in the United States. It goes from the East Coast to the West Coast. In Wyoming the very highest point is between Cheyenne and Laramie, and it is over 8,000 feet. There are many occasions when highway I-80 is closed because of the snow and the wind, and it is non-traversable. We have truck drivers who are some of the first ones on any scene of an accident, and they are the ones who continue to move the goods across this country. That is also one of the reasons why it is imperative, as so many have spoken about this evening, that we have people who are well-trained, that understand our English language, that can read our variable speed and variable signs as they drive down the highway in Wyoming and other States. Again, that is why I so appreciate our trucking companies and our truckers for the work that they do. Oftentimes, they take their own lives in their hands when they are crossing Wyoming to deliver goods from the East Coast to the West Coast, and they provide a valuable service. Mr. Speaker, in this Trucker Appreciation Week, one more time, I thank the men and women who have made this profession their own for the work that they do. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.”