The law will get tougher with truck drivers who smuggle drugs or help people get into the U.S. If initially, those who broke the law had their trucks apprehended and, after they paid the fine, they could get back to work, now, the new measures will change all that.

According to the Houston Chronicle, those truckers who get convicted of smuggling drugs or people into the U.S., could face time in prison and also lose their commercial driver's licenses.

Gov. Rick Perry said Thursday at the Texas Capitol that, until now, the truck drivers who got caught with smuggling drugs were convicted in federal court, paid a fine or served a short sentence and then they could get back to their usual work.

This new measure called the “Texas Hold 'Em” is meant to strengthen the law and interdict truck drivers who break the law to drive a truck.

“If you are a commercial trucker who is involved in the illicit transportation of drugs or humans and you get caught, our effort's going to be to stop you from being able to drive a truck again for the rest of your life,” said Gov. Rick Perry, according to the Huston Chronicle.

This new initiative helps the Texas Department of Public Safety to receive documentation of federal smuggling convictions in order to suspend or revoke commercial driver's licenses. Apparently Texas Department of Public Safety has revoked, by now, the licenses of five drivers. One driver was caught when he was trying to smuggle immigrants, at a New Mexico checkpoint.

Mike Przybyl, assistant chief of the Border Patrol's El Paso Sector said that, since September 2007, El Paso Sector agents have had 7 cases of truck drivers smuggling drugs and people.

Truckers who get convicted of transporting illegal drugs will have their commercial driver’s license revoked. Those who smuggle unauthorized immigrants will have their license suspended for a year, at their first offence and if they are caught again, their license will be revoked for good.