Why it matters – Because foreign-born, non-English-speaking commercial truck drivers and their employers have become a menace on America’s roadways.
This is how you do it. One of MAGA’s favorite rising stars, Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas), has introduced a bill that requires commercial truck drivers to pass an English language proficiency test if they want to get or renew their commercial driver’s licenses.
He’s calling it “Barron’s Law,” named after Barron Ritchey, an 8-year-old boy from Pilot Point, Texas, who was killed in April 2023 on Texas' Interstate 35 by a tractor-trailer operated by RTD Carriers. The truck’s wheel hub and tires broke free of the vehicle and hit the Ritchey family’s SUV. Barron and his mother were on their way home at the time of the accident.
According to Gill’s office, the driver of the truck was an immigrant whose B-1 visa had expired roughly six months prior to the accident that killed young Barron.
Barron’s Law is designed to crack down on fraud in the transportation and logistics industry, where carriers often knowingly use illegal drivers. Gill’s legislation would also impose penalties on foreign carriers of upwards of $100,000 per vehicle, per day for those caught illegally transporting domestic freight.
The law will enact new requirements and standards that address something called “cabotage” where the industry uses “chameleon carriers.” In other words, these are companies that transport goods or passengers from point A to point B within the U.S., but the operator or carrier is registered in another country.
Brandon Gill Issues 'Barron's Law' to Get Non-English Speaking Truck Drivers Off American Highways | John Binder, Breitbart
— Owen Gregorian (@OwenGregorian) September 30, 2026
Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) has introduced legislation — named after 8-year-old Barron Ritchey, who was killed in a 2023 crash allegedly caused by an illegal… pic.twitter.com/R6czJeWwQ5
But wait, there’s more. Gill's legislation pushes the idea for a pilot program that uses GPS, electronic logging device data, and geofencing at certain land ports of entry so as to identify foreign-domiciled carriers that are suspected of illegally hauling domestic freight in the U.S.
As for that English-proficiency test, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) would be charged with approving the testing process and the tests themselves. This, according to the Dallas Express.
Gill told the Express, “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. 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.”
As part of the English-proficiency testing, drivers will have to demonstrate that they understand road signs and safety instructions and can respond to voice instructions and emergency communication, whether it is from highway authorities and law enforcement or involves other written communication on signs or digital devices. Drivers will be expected to complete logs and reports in English.
The federal government currently requires commercial drivers to have an ability to read and speak English in order to do most of these things already. Gill’s legislation beefs up the penalties and includes more thorough requirements.
To be sure, earlier in 2026, the FMCSA had already bolstered its enforcement of the requirements. Starting in April, commercial drivers who failed the English-proficiency exam risked citations and being put out of service. Gill’s legislation goes beyond this by requiring a standardized English assessment as a condition of obtaining or keeping a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), and not just depending on roadside enforcement.
More than that, Barron’s Law will require CDL applicants to be American citizens, legal permanent residents of the U.S., or have some other form of federal authorization to work in the U.S. while operating a commercial truck.
On the data collection and management side at the federal level, the new bill will require that CDL records include something of an indicator that reveals if the driver is authorized to work under federal immigration and employment regulations.
Gill’s legislation will place the burden and responsibility on carriers to ensure that all drivers are verified to be legally approved to operate commercial trucks. If they violate these requirements, they face possible civil penalties starting at $25,000 per instance. Should the violators of these regs cause serious injury or death to others, the punishment jumps to a minimum of $100,000 per offense.
If you’re wondering if this is overkill and whether it’s necessary, here’s a reminder of who you’re sharing the road with right now.
The truck driver who made an illegal U-turn on Florida's Turnpike that led to the passing of 3 Americans, illegally entered the U.S. through the southern border in 2018.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 17, 2025
Harjinder Singh has been charged with three counts of vehicular homic*de.
Singh got his Commercial Driver’s… pic.twitter.com/FGZVHDWMGs
It’s not too much to expect your fellow drivers to have the same competency that the state expects you to have while sitting behind the wheel – especially for drivers who are in command of the biggest vehicles on the road, and who spend full shifts behind the wheel on our interstates.
The Ritchey family issued a statement on Barron's Law, which read in part: "In the years since we lost Barron, we have learned that his death was not the result of just one failure, but a series of failures across our transportation and immigration systems. Many of those same issues have now become part of a national conversation about who should be allowed to operate commercial trucks on our roads and how our laws are enforced."
The statement added, "We are grateful to Congressman Gill for listening to Barron’s story and introducing Barron’s Law. Nothing can bring our son back, but we hope that changes made in his name can help prevent another family from suffering the same unimaginable loss."
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