A Texas lawmaker introduced a federal bill that would penalize carriers that knowingly hire and deploy unqualified truck drivers.
On September 28, 2026, U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill introduced H.R.10620 or “Barron’s Law.”
“The legislation would strengthen commercial trucking safety by ensuring drivers have lawful status or proper employment authorization, requiring English-language proficiency testing, crack down on fraud, and impose enhanced penalties on motor carriers that knowingly use ineligible drivers,” Gill said.
Enhanced FMCSA Penalties
If passed, the bill would establish penalties of $25,000 per offense for any motor carrier found to have knowingly employed a driver who is ineligible to operate a commercial motor vehicle under federal law.
The penalty would increase to $100,000 “if such knowing employment or contracting results in serious injury or death.”
The bill would also establish a civil penalty of up to $100,000 per vehicle for each day on which a cabotage violation occurs. The legislation defines cabotage as a foreign motor carrier taking part in domestic point-to-point transportation within the United States.
English Test For CDL And CLP Applicants
Another major provision of Barron’s Law is the requirement for states to administer an FMCSA-approved standardized English language proficiency assessment before a CDL or commercial learner’s permit (CLP) is issued or renewed.
The testing would assess whether a driver understands road signs, can communicate effectively with safety personnel, and is capable of filling out driver logs, reports, and other required documentation.
Longstanding federal regulations already require commercial vehicle drivers to possess proficiency in the English language.
Chameleon Carrier Crackdown
The bill seeks to squash chameleon carriers, or trucking companies that obtain a new operating identity to avoid enforcement or penalties, by denying registration to carriers that have had their registration revoked in the past three years.
Barron’s Law would further establish a $25,000 penalty for making a false statement, concealing a relationship, or using a a successor or affiliated entity for the purpose of evading a registration revocation or other Federal motor carrier safety sanction.
Tightened Requirements For Non-Citizen CDL Drivers
The legislation would require CDL holders to “be a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States, or otherwise be authorized under Federal law to engage in employment in the United States that includes driving a commercial motor vehicle.” States would be forbidden to issue a CDL to an individual who does not meet these requirements.
The bill would establish a process for recording a driver’s immigration and employment authorization status in the commercial driver’s license information system.
Under a federal regulation that went into place earlier this year, only H-2A, H-2B, and E-2 nonimmigrant status holders who have undergone federal screening are eligible for non-domiciled CDLs.
Bill Named For Texas Boy Killed In Crash
Gill said that Barron’s Law is named for Barron Ritchey, who was eight when he was killed in an April 2023 incident on I-35 near Hillsboro. According to a news release from Gill’s office, a wheel hub and dual tires flew off a tractor trailer and struck the Ritchey family’s SUV. “The driver, Martin Monreal-Alvarado, had a B-1 visa that expired six months earlier,” Gill said.
“Barron’s death was a heartbreaking and preventable tragedy—his family should never have had to suffer his loss as a result of Democrat-era immigration failures,” said Gill. “While nothing can fix the pain of his death, this legislation aims to prevent any other Americans from dying at the hands of illegal aliens behind the wheel on our roads. We must ensure that truckers are here lawfully and speak our language.”
