To require all testing relating to the issuance or renewal of a commercial driver’s license to be conducted only in English, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
Requires English-only testing for commercial driver's licenses, imposes a one-year prior driver's-license requirement before issuance of a CDL, and authorizes revocation of non-domiciled CDL authority for noncompliant jurisdictions.
Who Benefits and How
Supporters of stricter commercial-driver qualification standards could benefit from more uniform testing and stronger federal leverage over noncompliant jurisdictions.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Prospective CDL applicants, especially those not yet proficient in English, and jurisdictions issuing non-domiciled credentials would face stricter barriers and enforcement risk.
Key Provisions
- Requires commercial-driver testing and related training tests to be administered only in English.
- Bars issuance of a CDL to someone who has not held a driver's license for at least one year, subject to a grandfather clause.
- Authorizes the Secretary to revoke a jurisdiction's authority to issue non-domiciled CDLs or CLPs for noncompliance.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Requires English-only testing for commercial driver's licenses, imposes a one-year prior driver's-license requirement before issuance of a CDL, and authorizes revocation of non-domiciled CDL authority for noncompliant jurisdictions.
Key Policy Areas
Transportation, Government Operations
Primary Purpose
Requires English-only testing for commercial driver's licenses, imposes a one-year prior driver's-license requirement before issuance of a CDL, and authorizes revocation of non-domiciled CDL authority for noncompliant jurisdictions.
Policy Domains
Main Provisions
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Regulators and carriers favoring stricter commercial-driver qualification standards
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Prospective CDL applicants and jurisdictions subject to the stricter federal standards
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Cotton (for himself, Mr. Hagerty, and Mr. Tuberville) introduced …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Prospective CDL applicants who are not yet proficient in English, Prospective CDL applicants without one year of prior driving experience
Jurisdictions issuing non-domiciled CDLs or CLPs that fall out of compliance
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology