“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 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.”

“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.”

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“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

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“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.”