It’s bad enough that America’s truckers are already fighting rising costs, regulations, and long hours on the road. Now they’ve got another problem: foreign drivers illegally hauling loads inside the U.S.—and raking in millions while hardworking Americans get ripped off.

The American Trucking Associations (ATA), representing more than 37,000 carriers nationwide, is sounding the alarm. In a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, ATA President Chris Spear didn’t sugarcoat it: “A foreign driver engaged in cabotage is not a technicality or a minor paperwork violation. It is outright lawbreaking that suppresses wages and work for American truck drivers.”

Here’s how it works: under current law, Mexican and Canadian truckers can deliver international shipments into the U.S. or pick up loads heading out. But what they can’t do—legally—is run freight point-to-point inside the U.S. That’s called cabotage, and it’s strictly prohibited. Yet, reports are piling up that U.S. carriers are hiring Mexican B-1 visa drivers to do exactly that. Why? Because they’ll work for less, and law-abiding American truckers pay the price.

And we’re not talking about small potatoes. One Arizona company pocketed $2.4 million using unauthorized foreign drivers before getting caught. Another pulled in $1.3 million before the feds shut it down. That’s not “competition”—that’s wage theft on a massive scale.

“These are not isolated bad actors,” Spear wrote. “They are part of a pattern of willful lawbreaking that undermines the integrity of our supply chain.” In other words, this isn’t just about truckers—it’s about national security, fairness, and the survival of American jobs.

The ATA is urging DHS to crack down hard. Even a handful of prosecutions would send the message that the days of gaming the system are over. And let’s be honest—only the Trump administration has shown the backbone to take this seriously.

Just look at April, when President Trump reinstated tougher English standards for commercial drivers. Imagine that—requiring drivers to actually understand English and U.S. road signs before barreling down our highways. The ATA applauded the move, and for good reason. After all, an illegal migrant from India, who couldn’t read road signs in English, caused a horrific crash in Florida just weeks later. Exactly the kind of preventable tragedy tougher standards are meant to stop.

So yes, American truckers are right to demand action. Cabotage cheats workers, endangers roads, and guts the supply chain. And only firm leadership—like we saw from President Trump—can put the brakes on it.

Because when foreign drivers are illegally taking loads that belong to American truckers, that’s not globalization. That’s theft. And it’s time Washington stood up for the men and women who keep this country moving.