U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) is preparing to introduce legislation that would tighten immigration requirements for commercial drivers, mandate English-language testing, crack down on so-called “chameleon carriers” and impose penalties on companies that knowingly use ineligible drivers, The Dallas Express has exclusively learned.
The “Trucking Safety and Accountability Act of 2026,” also known as “Barron’s Law,” takes its name from Barron Ritchey, an 8-year-old Pilot Point boy who died in 2023 when a wheel hub and dual tires separated from a tractor-trailer and struck his family’s SUV near Hillsboro.
“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,” Gill told The Dallas Express.
“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,” he added.
Immigration and English requirements
Under the legislation, commercial driver’s license (CDL) applicants would have to be U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents or otherwise authorized under federal law to work in employment that includes driving a commercial motor vehicle.
States could issue commercial driver’s licenses and learner’s permits only to individuals meeting those requirements. Federal CDL records would include an indicator showing whether a driver satisfies the immigration and employment-authorization requirements, while prohibiting the storage of underlying immigration documents.
The legislation would also require drivers seeking to obtain or renew a CDL to pass standardized English-language proficiency assessments that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration approves.
Applicants would have to demonstrate their ability to understand road signs and safety instructions, respond to spoken instructions and emergency communications, and complete required logs and reports.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Texas began requiring applicants to take CDL and commercial learner’s permit knowledge tests in English on June 1.
‘Chameleon carriers’
Barron’s Law would also target “chameleon carriers,” which the legislation defines as carriers or affiliated parties operating under new identities or entities to evade federal requirements, penalties, enforcement actions or negative compliance histories.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) would deny registration to qualifying chameleon carriers whose registrations had been revoked during the preceding three years.
Knowingly concealing a material relationship or using an affiliated entity to evade federal motor-carrier safety sanctions could result in fines of up to $25,000, up to one year in prison, or both.
Motor carriers that knowingly employ or contract with an operator who is ineligible under federal law would face civil penalties of at least $25,000 per offense. If the conduct results in serious injury or death, the penalty would be at least $100,000.
Foreign trucking enforcement
The legislation would additionally strengthen enforcement against unlawful cabotage, generally prohibiting foreign carriers operating under international transportation authority from conducting domestic point-to-point transportation unless authorized by federal law.
Knowing violations could result in penalties of up to $100,000 per vehicle for each day of violation.
States would have to cooperate with federal enforcement or potentially face the withholding of 10% of certain federal highway funding after notice and an opportunity to correct noncompliance.
The bill would also establish a pilot program using GPS, electronic logging and geofencing at high-volume land ports of entry to identify unlawful domestic transportation by foreign-domiciled carriers.
Finally, DOT and the Department of Homeland Security would submit annual reports to Congress on implementation and enforcement, while the Government Accountability Office would review the law’s effectiveness within three years.
Provided by Dallas Express
