Representative Paul Childress

Public Transportation (House) — March 18, 2025 (1:20:37)

Hang on a minute. You recognize. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just a comment. Representative Pilkington, I think that's a great bill. And as a father of three, I can remember those days of dropping my wife off at the front door when she had to go in and trying to find a parking spot in the back of the store or parking lot. So I think it's

Public Transportation (House) — March 18, 2025 (50:11)

I'm pretty sure there's current law that says they have to be able to speak English fluently to be able to operate a vehicle do you know anything about a memorandum is it I mean are y'all have y'all been told anything different are

Public Transportation (House) — March 18, 2025 (50:26)

you enforcing that or is it hard to enforce or kind of

Public Transportation (House) — March 18, 2025 (49:45)

with you because you deal your division deals with trucks more than probably state police does and i asked mr casper this question is there anything in the current law that prevents these drivers we're talking about from driving through our state no sir okay follow up follow up so we heard a little bit of testimony about memorandums about non-speaking drivers I know there's a current law

Public Transportation (House) — March 18, 2025 (49:36)

summed it up pretty well, Mr. Chairman. Thank you,

Public Transportation (House) — March 18, 2025 (49:32)

I'll just echo what Captain said. It's the same thing, and you

Public Transportation (House) — March 18, 2025 (40:51)

Mr. Childress? Mr. Bates, you talked about the ecosystems changing, and I know nothing about trucking, So I'm trying to learn from your testimony today. You know what year that changed and when that changed? And I mean, I'm assuming you're talking about it changed on a federal level, not a state level.

Public Transportation (House) — March 18, 2025 (28:28)

to try to do it. And I hope there's the highway police or state police is speaking so I can ask them that

Public Transportation (House) — March 18, 2025 (28:34)

same question. I can't speak for them. I hope they're speaking so I can ask that same question. But you were the, I'm afraid

Public Transportation (House) — March 18, 2025 (28:24)

But I think if there's anything more they could do, I think they need

Public Transportation (House) — March 18, 2025 (27:56)

it seems to me that way too and you know I put down against and after hearing Miss Newton speak and Mr. Representative Hawkins speak I get where they're coming from on that and it makes sense I don't think it's enough I think if there's something else that could be entertained at a state level, the English language might be, I don't know. It's so federally regulated. I don't know what the state could be capable of on its own.

Public Transportation (House) — March 18, 2025 (27:52)

is kind of tightening it up a little bit with penalties

Public Transportation (House) — March 18, 2025 (27:40)

think there is i think it's at a federal level okay

Public Transportation (House) — March 18, 2025 (27:22)

thank you mr chairman mr casper i'm afraid i won't get to ask this question i don't know who all is on the list so you're the closest thing to a police officer that that i'm looking at so my question is currently is there and you probably don't know it's not your wheelhouse but is there a law prohibiting these drivers we're talking about from driving currently i don't

Public Transportation (House) — March 18, 2025 (27:43)

so currently they're able to drive free willy and just do whatever they want to correct okay correct and for me reading this bill it kind of looks like they're it's this

Public Transportation (House) — March 18, 2025 (26:48)

the trucking company that owns his own good trucks pays good drivers hauls his own freight doesn't third party it out broker it out i don't see how they're staying in business really don't but i don't know what the solution is but i hope you guys can get somewhere and turn transportation around because it's not headed down a good road i appreciate y'all's time

Public Transportation (House) — March 18, 2025 (26:18)

everything has increased 120 plus in transportation equipment tires fuel insurance everything the only thing that hasn't increased is the trucking rate some of these rates are the same as they was 20 years ago these companies can probably make it okay because what they're netting a week is probably more than they made in a month or two where they come from how them boys stay in business nowadays is beyond me beyond me the owner operator

Public Transportation (House) — March 18, 2025 (25:45)

way way way underinsured maybe the solution is at a federal level for all that i know they carry you know a general liability policy from fmcsa they carry some cargo insurance to protect the shipper and the broker until it hits the dock most of the time that's all they cover no no physical damage you know it's like liability only in a big truck and it's become a huge huge problem in the industry makes it tougher on them guys to make a living because the rate is junk 20 years

Public Transportation (House) — March 18, 2025 (25:10)

majority of that trucker is from africa african countries middle eastern countries pakistan india certain asian countries and all kidding aside they probably are responsible about 80 percent of all commercial vehicle accidents we work nowadays out there where the trucks laying on the side whether it's ran off in the woods in the ditch seriously about eight out of ten it's from that individual right there and lost revenue is extreme like greg said extreme

Public Transportation (House) — March 18, 2025 (24:36)

2003 and going back 20 years most of the non-us citizen trucking companies were from the soviet union bloc you had russia ukraine romania bulgaria yugoslavia uh they probably counted for i'm gonna say 10 or less than all commercial vehicle accidents major accidents and lost revenue was real real small at that time in the towing industry let's fast forward and what you have today