SJR 16: Vehicles: commercial driver’s license revocation.

WHEREAS, Commercial drivers play a necessary role in the movement of essential goods, and are an integral part of California’s economy; and

WHEREAS, There are over 700,000 commercial drivers in California; and

WHEREAS, Commercial drivers transport essential medicine, food, and necessary fuels that people rely on every day; and

WHEREAS, California relies on commercial drivers to transport shipping containers from its 12 seaports and that traffic is approximately 40 percent of imported shipping container traffic across the United States; and

WHEREAS, Commercial drivers do this job for weeks on end, to facilitate the efficient logistical operation of everyday business, without seeing their families; and

WHEREAS, Federal regulations governing commercial driver’s licenses are administered by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; and

WHEREAS, Revised federal disqualification rules have resulted in the suspension or permanent loss of an estimated 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses, effectively ending a driver’s ability to earn a livelihood; and

WHEREAS, These disqualifications occurred even in cases where the underlying conduct did not involve unsafe operation of a commercial motor vehicle; and

WHEREAS, The trucking industry continues to experience workforce shortages that affect supply chains and economic stability; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of California, jointly, That the Legislature respectfully urges the Congress of the United States and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to review federal commercial driver’s license disqualification policies and consider reforms that allow greater flexibility for states and appropriate relief for drivers whose livelihoods are affected; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the President of the United States, the Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, to each Member of the California delegation in the Congress of the United States, and to the author for appropriate distribution.