Mike Collins Advocates for Revoking Noncitizen Truckers' Licences Despite Own Fleet's Safety Record

Mike Collins, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Georgia and owner of a trucking business, has publicly advocated for the revocation of commercial driver's licences from noncitizens. This position aligns with a recent rule enacted by the Trump administration to strip licences from nearly 200,000 noncitizen drivers. Collins has stated that individuals who cannot read English road signs do not belong behind the wheel, a claim made without presenting evidence that noncitizen truckers cause more accidents than their citizen counterparts.

The stance contrasts sharply with federal data indicating no empirical link between a trucker's citizenship status and crash rates. In its initial analysis of the licence revocation rule, the Trump administration admitted there was not sufficient evidence to demonstrate a measurable empirical relationship between citizenship and safety outcomes. Despite this, Collins has championed the policy, citing a specific case involving an undocumented trucker as justification while failing to provide broader data supporting the safety argument.

While Collins opposes regulations such as speed limiters and automatic emergency braking, citing cost and industry experience, his own fleet has recorded higher rates of unsafe driving violations per mile than most comparable trucking companies. ProPublica's analysis of federal motor vehicle data from the past two years confirms that Collins' business has a higher rate of unsafe driving and speeding violations per mile than the majority of similar firms.

Over a period of 25 years, crashes involving truckers for Collins' family business have resulted in five deaths and more than 50 injuries. Specific incidents include a fatal crash in North Carolina in 2007 that led to a $1 million settlement, and a four-vehicle collision in Georgia in 2023 where one driver claimed medical costs exceeding $120,000. The business has denied wrongdoing in these cases, though some lawsuits were settled for undisclosed sums.

Collins has expressed opposition to safety technologies that experts and the American Trucking Associations support, arguing they are expensive and ineffective. He has noted that his family business is a member of the American Trucking Associations, the country's largest trucking trade group, which has long advocated for mandates on speed limiters and automatic emergency braking to reduce serious injuries and deaths.

Neither Collins' campaign nor his congressional office responded to requests for comment regarding his family business's safety record or his policy positions on trucking safety. As the debate over the licence revocation rule continues, legal challenges have emerged, with public interest lawyers arguing that the notion immigrant drivers are less safe is not supported by the facts.