Deadly Florida crash sparks tougher truck driver enforcement

A deadly crash on the Florida Turnpike is fueling a nationwide crackdown on commercial truck drivers.

(CNN)- A deadly crash on the Florida Turnpike is fueling a nationwide crackdown on commercial truck drivers.

Investigators say earlier this month, Harjinder Singh, a semi-truck driver from India, made an illegal U-turn on the highway, triggering a crash that killed three people. Afterward, federal officials reported Singh failed an English language proficiency test.

“We lost three people. For no purpose. No reason,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who announced tougher enforcement Tuesday. Duffy stressed that commercial drivers must be able to read road signs and communicate in English, warning that states failing to enforce federal language rules risk losing funding.

Florida is already taking action. Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that all agricultural truck inspection stations in the state will now double as immigration enforcement checkpoints. “There is no telling how many illegal aliens are in this country driving large commercial vehicles and putting American families in a safety risk,” Uthmeier said.

Reaction from truck drivers is mixed. “You are messing it up for the rest of the truckers,” said driver Jacob Ordonez, who supports the crackdown. But Duane Harris disagreed, arguing, “D-O-T are doing an excellent job at examining us and inspecting us.”