Nevada Drivers Share The Highway With Truckers Like This

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Back in January, Arkansas State Police pulled over a truck with California plates for a routine safety check. Nothing unusual about that part.

But then the trooper started asking questions. He had to repeat himself several times for the driver to understand.

On top of that, his California commercial license listed his first name as “No name given.”

The trooper found a broken turn signal and some missing logbook paperwork. He told the driver to fix it, had him sign off, and sent him on his way.

Is “No Name Given” Even Real?

It's not completely unheard of. Some people, especially from certain countries, only have one name.

Government computers need both a first and last name to work, so may fill the blank spot with “No Name Given.” It could be just be a paperwork quirk, so technically it's not proof of anything fishy on its own.

Forget the Name…

The English part is the real problem.

Truckers are supposed to understand basic English to keep everyone safe, things like road signs and weather warnings. “Bridge out.” “Ice ahead.”

It's not optional when you're driving something the size of a house down the highway.

But the driver in this video seems to struggle to understand every question the trooper asks him.

And this isn't just a one-time thing, either. There's been a real fight going on over what's called “non-domiciled” CDLs, which are special commercial licenses some states give to non-citizens.

Last year, the feds told California to clean it up. California ended up cancelling around 13,000 of these licenses after the federal government threatened to pull funding over it.

Then it landed in court, like these things always do. A judge said California had to let about 20,000 drivers reapply, but the feds still won't let the state issue new licenses until California fixes the problem.

And the new federal rule limits these licenses to people on specific work visas, like H-2A farm workers, H-2B seasonal workers, and E-2 investors.

California, Washington, Colorado, and Pennsylvania have all paused these licenses while the feds review them.

How This Affects Nevada

We're not California, but we sure do share a lot of road with them. I-15 is basically one long line of California trucks running between here and the coast.

If California's been a little loose about who gets a commercial license, we know those drivers are merging right onto Nevada highways.

A broken blinker is an easy fix. A driver who can't understand basic English isn't.

To be able to safely handle a semi in America means being able to understand English. It's not negotiable.

Nevada drivers deserve better than just hoping our licensed commercial drivers know enough when something goes wrong.

The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. Digital technology was used in the research, writing, and production of this article. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.