Real ID Rule Would Hurt Trucking, ATA Says

American Trucking Associations said a draft rule issued by the Department of Homeland Security making state and commercial driver licenses subject to more stringent security checks would further contribute to an industrywide driver shortage and could put small trucking companies out of business.

ATA also said in comments submitted to DHS on May 4 that the implementation timeline of the Real ID program was unrealistic for states, which lack the time and money to build systems to issue ID cards that comply with the regulation’s more stringent security standards. Under the proposed rule, states must begin issuing Real ID cards by May 11, 2008.

“If no state can issue compliant driver’s licenses by the deadline, no holder of a [CDL] may any longer use such a license to enter a federal facility,” ATA said.

As a result, “hundreds of motor carrier businesses, large and small, that depend mostly . . . on federal contracts, would be obliged to go out of business,” ATA said.