Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Ammon Blair, Senior Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, former Border Patrol agent, and consultant for the Operation Lone Star Task Force, testifies before the Texas Senate Transportation Committee on commercial driver's license (CDL) enforcement, English language proficiency requirements, and roadside verification policies.
Blair argues that CDL issuance, third-party training and testing, English proficiency standards, and roadside enforcement are interconnected parts of a single enforcement problem, and that gaps in any one area undermine the whole system. He highlights how trucks diverting from interstates onto farm-to-market and county roads, particularly along the border, can evade DPS inspection stations, while local law enforcement officers often lack the training, certification, and legal authority needed to act.
His key policy recommendations include separating non-technical CMV certification (such as English proficiency verification) from full technical CDL training, delivering the non-technical component through a digital platform to make it accessible to all 80,000+ Texas law enforcement officers regardless of geography, and directing dedicated funding to local agencies operating on diversion routes near the border.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s mission is to promote and defend liberty, personal responsibility, and free enterprise in Texas and the nation by educating and affecting policymakers and the Texas public policy debate with academically sound research and outreach.
Funded by thousands of individuals, foundations, and corporations, the Foundation does not accept government funds or contributions to influence the outcomes of its research.
The public is demanding a different direction for their government, and the Texas Public Policy Foundation is providing the ideas that enable policymakers to chart that new course.
Website: texaspolicy.com
X: twitter.com/tppf
Facebook: facebook.com/texaspolicy
Instagram: instagram.com/texaspolicy
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/texas-public-policy-foundation
Ammon Blair, Senior Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, former Border Patrol agent, and consultant for the Operation Lone Star Task Force, testifies before the Texas Senate Transportation Committee on commercial driver's license (CDL) enforcement, English language proficiency requirements, and roadside verification policies.
Blair argues that CDL issuance, third-party training and testing, English proficiency standards, and roadside enforcement are interconnected parts of a single enforcement problem, and that gaps in any one area undermine the whole system. He highlights how trucks diverting from interstates onto farm-to-market and county roads, particularly along the border, can evade DPS inspection stations, while local law enforcement officers often lack the training, certification, and legal authority needed to act.
His key policy recommendations include separating non-technical CMV certification (such as English proficiency verification) from full technical CDL training, delivering the non-technical component through a digital platform to make it accessible to all 80,000+ Texas law enforcement officers regardless of geography, and directing dedicated funding to local agencies operating on diversion routes near the border.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s mission is to promote and defend liberty, personal responsibility, and free enterprise in Texas and the nation by educating and affecting policymakers and the Texas public policy debate with academically sound research and outreach.
Funded by thousands of individuals, foundations, and corporations, the Foundation does not accept government funds or contributions to influence the outcomes of its research.
The public is demanding a different direction for their government, and the Texas Public Policy Foundation is providing the ideas that enable policymakers to chart that new course.
Website: texaspolicy.com
X: twitter.com/tppf
Facebook: facebook.com/texaspolicy
Instagram: instagram.com/texaspolicy
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/texas-public-policy-foundation
