Gov. Kay Ivey’s office said on Sept. 2 that the governor supports a new Trump administration initiative targeting fraud, illegal operations and other criminal activity in the commercial trucking industry while pointing to Alabama’s existing enforcement efforts.

In a news release, Ivey’s office said Alabama has been working to address what it described as illegal and unqualified commercial drivers through state enforcement, commercial driver licensing standards and a partnership between the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Motor Carrier Safety Unit and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The U.S. Department of Transportation, Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice announced Monday what the administration described as its most aggressive interagency trucking enforcement effort to date. According to the release, the initiative targets fraudulent commercial driver training and testing practices, illegal commercial operators and criminal activity within the trucking industry.

The administration also established the Joint Task Force Crossroads of America, a multistate partnership focused on fraudulent commercial driver licensing, illegal trucking operations and related criminal activity, according to the release.

Ivey’s office said Alabama has pursued similar enforcement efforts through ALEA’s Motor Carrier Safety Unit, its partnership with ICE and the state’s commercial driver licensing requirements.

“President Trump and Secretary Duffy are taking decisive action to restore law, order and accountability to America’s trucking industry, and we are proud to help lead that effort,” Ivey said in the release. “Here in Alabama, we have already made it clear that those who are in our country illegally, cannot speak English or are otherwise unqualified have no business operating an 80,000-pound commercial vehicle. Through ALEA’s partnership with ICE and the dedicated work of our state troopers, Alabama is helping keep dangerous drivers off our roads and protect law-abiding citizens.”

According to Ivey’s office, ICE personnel have joined ALEA’s routine commercial vehicle enforcement assignments when available since the partnership began Oct. 27, 2025.

Since that date, ALEA’s Motor Carrier Safety Unit has assisted ICE with the detention of 561 individuals for immigration violations encountered during commercial motor vehicle enforcement activities, the release said.

Ivey’s office also said ALEA has focused on English Language Proficiency requirements for commercial motor vehicle drivers. Since Jan. 1, 2025, MCSU troopers have issued 1,022 English Language Proficiency violations to commercial drivers, according to the release.

In March, Ivey signed the Highway Safety and Fairness Act. The law requires foreign CDL holders operating in Alabama to have valid U.S. work authorization, requires all CDL holders to demonstrate English-language proficiency and makes presenting a fraudulent foreign CDL during an enforcement encounter a criminal offense. The law takes effect Oct. 1.

The Alabama Trucking Association’s president and CEO, Mark Colson, credited Ivey and ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor with what he described as establishing Alabama as a national model for protecting trucking businesses and professional drivers while holding illegal operators and other bad actors accountable.

“Alabama’s trucking industry is built on the hard work of family-owned businesses, independent owner-operators and professional drivers who play by the rules. Bad actors who exploit loopholes in our regulatory systems are putting everyone at risk, and this is unacceptable,” Colson said. “We are encouraged by the progress being made at the federal level by Secretary Sean Duffy and Administrator Derek Barrs, and proud of Alabama’s strong and timely response to these issues. Governor Kay Ivey and ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor have positioned Alabama as a national leader in combating rogue operations and bad actors, creating safer highways for our citizens and a fairer and more equitable trucking industry in Alabama.”

ALEA deploys enforcement resources to high-crash corridors across the state, including areas where English Language Proficiency and other commercial vehicle violations are prevalent, according to Ivey’s office.

The release said ALEA has observed reductions in commercial motor vehicle-related crashes in specific high-crash corridors where enforcement efforts have been concentrated.

Alabama recorded 106 fatalities involving commercial motor vehicles in 2025, which the release said was the state’s lowest annual total since 2021. So far in 2026, the state has recorded a 24% reduction in CMV-involved fatalities compared with the same period last year, according to the release.

“Commercial motor vehicle safety is about much more than conducting an inspection or issuing a citation. It is about making certain the individuals operating these large vehicles are qualified, properly licensed and capable of doing so safely,” said ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor. “Under Governor Ivey’s leadership, ALEA has remained proactive in addressing these issues through targeted enforcement, federal partnerships and the work of our Motor Carrier Safety Unit. The progress we are seeing in CMV-related fatalities demonstrates why these efforts remain so important.”

Ivey’s office also noted that Alabama does not issue non-domiciled CDLs and only issues CDL licenses to lawful permanent residents.

“Alabama did not wait for this issue to resolve itself,” Ivey said. “We took action, we strengthened the law and took illegal operators off our highways. My message is clear: If you are here illegally, operating unlawfully or putting American lives at risk, you will be held accountable.”

According to Ivey’s office, Alabama’s enforcement and licensing policies are intended to align with the type of state and federal cooperation sought by the Trump administration’s new trucking initiative.