Texas Trucking Industry Calls for Ban on Mexican and Canadian CDLs

On Monday, August 17, a hearing of the Texas House of Representatives Transportation Committee was held at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, where the main concerns centered on Mexican commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) and cabotage.

According to reports from local news station KVUE and the online publication CDL Life, during the hearing, the Texas House of Representatives heard testimony from various members of the trucking industry regarding concerns that drivers are operating with only a Federal Driver’s License or a Mexican CDL.

Texas has one of the largest flows of trade through its ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border, resulting in foreign truck drivers making frequent entries into the state to make deliveries. In 2021, the Mexican government adopted digital driver’s licenses, which, according to Major Omar Villarreal of the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), has enabled individuals of various nationalities to fraudulently obtain Mexican CDLs.

Although Mexican CDLs are legally recognized in the United States due to cross-border freight transportation between the two countries, they have raised concerns regarding driver safety, the legality of the drivers, and cabotage, according to testimony presented during the Texas House Transportation Committee hearing.

State Ban on CDLs Issued by Mexico and Canada

Texas DPS officials claim that virtual Mexican CDLs have led to an influx of unqualified drivers into the state. This increase prompted the passage of a law in 2023 requiring drivers who hold a Mexican CDL and operate in both countries to have a work visa in order to legally operate within the United States. The regulation was implemented as a safety and enforcement measure by Texas authorities, reducing the number of unqualified truck drivers on Texas roads.

“We’re talking about people operating 80,000-pound or heavier vehicles alongside our highways and Texas families,” said John Esparza, president and CEO of the Texas Trucking Association. “It’s not about where someone was born or what language they speak at home. It’s about whether that person can safely perform that job.”

In addition to safety concerns, trucking industry leaders claim that drivers holding Mexican CDLs are also using them to transport freight within the United States, engaging in cabotage instead of transporting the freight across the border. According to industry representatives, this practice takes jobs and revenue away from American drivers and puts citizens at risk on the roads.

For these reasons, during the August 17 hearing, they urged lawmakers to reconsider the legality of Mexican and Canadian CDLs in the United States. Representatives argued that Canadian drivers also engage in cabotage, although the practice appears to be less common among Canadian drivers than among drivers from Mexico.

“If we go back to NAFTA and the USMCA, the intent of the reciprocal agreement involving the Mexican license (LFC) was international transportation of goods. It was never intended to be used for intrastate purposes,” said Villarreal.

No legislative proposal was introduced during the hearing, but lawmakers heard strong and numerous arguments in favor of a state ban on commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) issued by Mexico and Canada.