(INDIANA) — Senator Jim Banks introduced the Dalilah Law on February 26, 2026, proposing a nationwide push to force states to recheck every commercial driver’s license holder within 180 days of enactment and to impose lifetime bans on some non-citizens who violate eligibility rules.
The bill would set federal conditions for CDL recertification across all states, linking who can hold a CDL to immigration status and to English testing, with license revocations for drivers who fail the new verification steps.
Banks’ proposal also gives the Secretary of Transportation authority to bar certain drivers from operating commercial vehicles for life, a penalty tied to operating without required citizenship, residency, or qualifying visa status.
Introduced as a federal legislative response to questions of license integrity and roadway safety, the measure would require state agencies to act on a uniform timetable after enactment, while making compliance a condition of receiving Department of Transportation funding.
Dalilah Law takes its name from Dalilah Coleman, a child involved in a tractor-trailer crash with a driver allegedly in the country illegally.
President Trump pressed for the legislation in late February 2026 during his State of the Union address, saying: “Dalilah’s Law will include all Commercial Drivers, this includes ‘For-Hire’ drivers as well. Amazon, Lyft, Uber, DoorDash, Walmart. Everyone will be included in the practice of safer roads and a safer America.”
Banks framed the proposal as a safety and enforcement measure tied to licensing decisions made by states. “Too many people have been hurt. Too many have been killed. Americans are paying the price because illegal drivers are being handed commercial driver’s licenses like candy and put behind the wheel of 80,000-pound trucks. That stops now,” he said.
At the center of the bill is a sharp eligibility line for who states can issue CDLs to. It prohibits CDL issuance to individuals who are not U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, or holders of specific work visas: H-2A (temporary agricultural workers), H-2B (temporary non-agricultural workers), and E-2 (treaty investors).
Beyond new issuances, the proposal would apply to the existing workforce through a mandatory recertification requirement. States must recertify all current CDL holders within 180 days, and drivers who cannot clear the checks would lose their licenses.
Under the bill, states would have to verify that each CDL holder meets citizenship, residency, or qualifying visa requirements, a process that would force state motor vehicle agencies to revalidate documentation for a population already licensed.
English proficiency becomes a required element of that recertification. States must verify that each driver “is proficient in English,” and the bill also requires proof that each driver “has passed all CDL knowledge and skills tests in English.”
Drivers who do not complete the recertification within the 180-day window would see their CDLs revoked under the proposal. The bill also calls for revocation when a driver fails any component of the recertification checks.
Testing rules would tighten further by requiring English-only CDL examinations. Both CDL knowledge and skills tests must be administered in English only, creating a national standard that states would have to apply in their testing systems.
The proposal aligns those testing requirements with enforcement activity that already targets language standards in day-to-day operations. It says the English-only approach aligns with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s directive requiring all truck and bus drivers to take CDL tests in English, with drivers receiving out-of-service orders for failing roadside English Language Proficiency tests.
Dalilah Law also sets out a framework for lifetime disqualification, using a federal penalty aimed at deterring operation outside the eligibility rules. The Secretary of Transportation would be authorized to disqualify individuals from operating commercial motor vehicles for life if they operate a vehicle without required citizenship, residency, or visa status—unless they possess specific travel authorizations or admission records.
That “lifetime” concept is not presented as a general punishment for all violations, but as a targeted consequence tied to operating without required status, giving the Transportation Secretary a tool that would sit alongside state licensing actions.
The bill uses federal funding as leverage over state compliance, putting Department of Transportation dollars at stake for state decisions on who may hold a CDL. The Transportation Secretary can withhold federal funding from states that fail to recertify, revoke licenses as required, or issue licenses to ineligible individuals.
For employers, the proposal would tie a driver’s ability to work across state lines to a new cycle of documentation checks and English testing requirements enforced through state licensing agencies. Carriers that depend on a stable supply of licensed drivers could face disruptions if large numbers of current holders fail recertification or lose licenses through revocation.
State DMVs would have to build systems to conduct the verification steps and to track whether each licensed driver meets the citizenship, residency, or visa requirements specified in the bill. The recertification deadline would run from enactment, putting pressure on states to complete the process quickly.
While the proposal spells out the operational requirements, it depends on enactment and subsequent state implementation to take effect. The timing and mechanics would flow from the 180-day mandate in the legislation, paired with state compliance steps required to avoid federal funding penalties.
Banks’ bill also seeks to codify an existing federal approach to non-domiciled licenses. The eligibility restrictions provision codifies the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s existing final rule limiting non-domiciled CDL issuance.
That regulatory backdrop has moved in parallel with the legislative push. Earlier in February 2026, the Trump administration implemented reforms through the FMCSA’s “Restoring Integrity to the Issuance of Non-Domiciled Commercial Driver’s Licenses” rule.
The rule eliminated Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) as proof of eligibility and mandated Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system verification for all applicants, tightening the documentation pipeline that state agencies rely on when issuing licenses.
Language enforcement also has a reported enforcement track record that supporters of Dalilah Law cite as part of a broader compliance effort. More than 14,000 drivers have been placed out of service for English Language Proficiency violations under recent enforcement actions.
Those FMCSA and DOT moves place Dalilah Law in a broader enforcement environment where federal regulators already police eligibility proof and English Language Proficiency standards, while the new bill would push states into a rapid, universal revalidation of existing CDLs.
If enacted, the combined effect of federal rulemaking and new statutory requirements would force states to manage the practical overlap between documentation verification systems and test administration, while carriers and drivers adjust to the consequences of revocation and disqualification.
Legislatively, the proposal has early signs of coordination across chambers and with the White House. Senator John Cornyn also indicated he would introduce companion legislation, signaling an effort to move the framework through Congress as a coordinated package rather than a single bill.
The White House also signaled support in principle for developing the idea into law. It stated it would work with Congress to develop the proposed law.
Next steps for the bill would run through the usual congressional process, including committee consideration, potential amendments, and votes, while the operational requirements described in the legislation would require state and federal agencies to prepare for compliance if it becomes law.
For states, implementation would mean DMV compliance planning tied to the recertification mandate and to the enforcement conditions linked to DOT funding. For drivers, the proposal sets a bright line: keep a CDL by meeting the eligibility rules, proving English proficiency, and passing CDL tests in English, or face revocation—and for certain non-citizens who violate the rules, lifetime bans.
Dalilah Law Tightens CDL Recertification, Imposes Lifetime Bans
The Dalilah Law proposes a nationwide overhaul of commercial licensing, requiring all current drivers to undergo documentation and English proficiency checks. It limits CDL eligibility to citizens and specific visa holders, introduces lifetime bans for certain violations, and mandates English-only testing. Backed by the White House, the bill uses federal transportation funding as leverage to ensure states implement these strict verification and revocation protocols quickly.
