DPS Troopers Frank Martinez, left, and George Harris inspect a tractor trailer at a checkpoint outside Terrel as part of an intense 72-hour inspection period for 18-wheelers.
ROBERTO M. SANCHEZ/Al Día
AUSTIN — Lawmakers are weighing proposals to require truck drivers to prove they speak English and bolster enforcement against loads moved across state lines by truckers with Mexican and Canadian licenses.
The moves could be the latest changes to commercial driver’s license regulations in Texas that critics say unfairly target foreign-born drivers and risk depleting the workforce in an industry that serves as a vital link in the economy.
Republicans, who have already prohibited a subset of immigrants from receiving commercial licenses, argue that these changes are meant to make sure roadways remain safe.
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“This is not about where someone was born or the language they speak at home,” John Esparza, the president and CEO of the Texas Trucking Association, told lawmakers Monday while speaking in support of English proficiency testing. “It is about whether the individual can safely perform the job.”
Texas has more than half a million active commercial licenses. Drivers transport about $4 billion in goods daily — more than $1.5 trillion annually — which includes the gasoline Texans put in their cars and grains they purchase at grocery stores, Esparza said.
The Texas House’s committee on transportation is studying changes to CDLs as lawmakers consider what bills to propose in 2027.
The 30-minute hearing on commercial licenses came as House Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick asked lawmakers in their respective chambers to strengthen standards for the commercial licenses issued by Texas.
Texas, following President Donald Trump’s directives, has made multiple changes in recent months regarding who can get a commercial driver’s license and how much English a license holder should know.
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In September 2025, the Texas Department of Public Safety announced it would no longer issue or renew commercial licenses to people classified as Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals, refugees or asylum seekers.
Then in June, DPS announced that all commercial license and learner’s permit knowledge exams would be administered in English and that interpreters would be prohibited.
Monday’s hearing did not touch on the ban for those who are in the country seeking immigration relief. Lawmakers also did not propose specific laws to pass.
Another recommendation mentioned Monday involved a loophole that allows drivers with a Mexican or Canadian commercial license to move domestic products in the country.
A commercial license issued by Canada or Mexico allows drivers to transport products internationally. But recently, Esparza said, the industry has seen those with that kind of license transport products between U.S. cities, which is not allowed.
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Rep. Christina Morales, D-Houston, took issue with some of the proposals and what they implied. At one point, she asked if the panel was trying to imply that people from other countries are worse drivers than those in the U.S.
Omar Villarreal, a major with DPS, said they were not.
Later in the hearing, Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, mentioned that “no one here is against foreign drivers.”
“We are against foreign drivers who are obtaining their credentials illegally,” he added.
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The committee will provide a report later this year with its specific recommendations for next year’s legislative session.