The Texas Senate on May 13 approved a bill that would require annual checks of all truckdrivers and impose new penalties for companies with unsafe vehicles.

Sen. Mario Gallegos, D-Houston, told The Dallas Morning News he filed the measure to help stem "dramatic increases" in fatalities on Texas highways involving big rigs.

"This bill creates a necessary, periodic record check of truckdrivers, requiring employers to obtain and check specific records every 12 months. Hopefully, this will help make our highways safer," said Gallegos.

The measure also requires that a person seeking a job as a commercial driver provide the trucking company or employer with detailed information for the 10 years prior to the date of application. Failure to provide such information or falsifying the information would be a Class C misdemeanor.

Under SB1679, a driver's company or employer could be fined $100,000 if someone is killed as a result of criminally negligent conduct involving inspection, maintenance or operation of a tractor-trailer.

The bill next goes to the House for consideration.