‘Shady carriers hiring illegals’: Sen. Banks launches trucking tip line after 4 Amish men die in crash

Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) unveiled the TruckSafe Tipline on Tuesday, which allows those who work in the trucking industry to report carriers that may be breaking federal laws.

“If you’re a trucker or work in the industry and see something unsafe or know of shady carriers hiring illegals, I want to hear from you,” Banks wrote in a post on social media.

‘The TruckSafe Tipline gives people on the ground a way to speak up when they see carriers cutting corners and putting lives at risk.’

The reporting system encourages truckers to submit a form if they believe a carrier has employed or contracted drivers who are illegally in the U.S., who are not authorized to drive, or who do not meet the English-language proficiency requirements.

Banks’ office will share the submitted tips with the Department of Transportation and its Office of Inspector General.

“Indiana is the Crossroads of America and Hoosiers are getting killed because drivers who shouldn’t be here in the first place are behind the wheel. If you’re driving a truck on our roads, you need to be legal, you need to be able to read traffic signs, and you need to follow the law. The TruckSafe Tipline gives people on the ground a way to speak up when they see carriers cutting corners and putting lives at risk,” Banks stated.

The tip line was launched following a semi-truck crash in Indiana last week that resulted in the deaths of four Amish men, including a father and two sons.

RELATED: Trucker accused of killing 4 Amish men — and DHS claims he’s an ‘illegal alien’

Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The driver of the truck, Bekzhan Beishekeev, a 30-year-old Kyrgyzstani national who obtained his commercial driver’s license in Pennsylvania despite allegedly residing in the U.S. illegally, was accused of swerving into oncoming traffic and striking a 15-passenger van head-on.

Beishekeev is in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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Jim Banks. Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Banks’ office noted that the DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is investigating the carrier that employed Beishekeev as well as several other companies.

“These interconnected carriers have all the markings of FRAUD and are accused of being CHAMELEON CARRIERS. This is when companies swap names and DOT numbers to avoid enforcement,” DOT Secretary Sean Duffy stated. “The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is working AROUND THE CLOCK to hold anyone involved in this horrific crime accountable.”

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