Mast Introduces Legislation to Fast-Track Veterans Into Trucking While Tightening Safety Standards for Foreign Drivers

One year after a fatal collision on Florida’s Turnpike near Fort Pierce claimed three lives, U.S. Rep. Brian Mast is pushing legislative action to overhaul commercial driver licensing standards. The crash involved a truck driver operating with an invalid commercial driver’s license who made an illegal U-turn, leaving an approaching minivan unable to avoid the collision. Mast has introduced new Freedom Haulers legislation aimed at addressing what he characterizes as systemic failures in federal oversight and state licensing practices.

The lawmaker contends that current policies allow states like California to issue Non-Domiciled commercial driver’s licenses without adequate verification of legal work authorization or language proficiency. According to Mast, the Fort Pierce crash driver had scored just 2 out of 12 on an English proficiency test yet still received a CDL from California despite entering the country illegally and lacking proper work authorization. Mast argues these gaps create unnecessary risks for American motorists and must be closed through strict enforcement of existing federal requirements.

Mast’s proposal would establish a permanent fast-track program for military veterans with heavy-vehicle driving experience to enter the trucking industry. Veterans with qualifying military background would be permitted to skip the CDL knowledge test and utilize existing federal mechanisms to bypass the road skills test, while also accessing veterans’ benefits to fund CDL training. The initiative aligns with the Trump administration’s Freedom Haulers program, which recognizes military experience as meeting the discipline and precision demands of commercial trucking.

The legislation explicitly maintains that all commercial drivers—regardless of national origin—must meet identical safety standards without exception. Federal law already mandates English proficiency and the ability to read road signs, yet Mast contends lax enforcement has permitted drivers with minimal proficiency scores to obtain licenses. He emphasizes that a commercial driver’s license represents authorization to operate an 80,000-pound vehicle, not a discretionary credential, and should come with non-negotiable requirements.

Mast argues the Trump administration’s trucking enforcement initiative has yielded results, citing 51 immigration detentions and 36 English language proficiency violations. He characterizes the push to remove unqualified foreign drivers and recruit veterans as common-sense policy rooted in both safety and opportunity. According to Mast, the nation should enforce existing standards strictly while creating pathways for Americans who have already demonstrated the competency the industry requires.