California announced on December 30 that it will delay the revocation of 17,000 Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs) until March following lawsuits from immigrant truck drivers and business owners.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that this delay will cost California nearly $160 million in federal funds.
Duffy wrote on X, “The deadline to revoke illegally issued and unchecked foreign CDLs for truck drivers still remains January 5. California has no right to ‘delay’ to continue breaking the law, putting American citizens at risk on the roads.”
The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) stated that California plans to work with representatives from the Federal Department of Transportation to address concerns related to the issuance of commercial driver’s licenses by March 6.
California DMV Director Steve Gordon said in a statement, “Commercial drivers are an essential part of our economy – without them, our supply chain cannot function, and communities struggle to stay connected.”
This year, California’s commercial driver’s license program has become a focal point nationwide due to several fatal semi-truck accidents involving undocumented immigrant drivers who obtained licenses in California.
One of the most tragic cases occurred in August. Harjinder Singh is accused of driving a semi-truck in Florida, making an illegal U-turn on a toll road, and crashing into a van, resulting in the death of three individuals inside the vehicle. Singh was an undocumented immigrant holding a commercial driver’s license issued by California and was later arrested in the state.
A federal audit found that California issued 17,000 truck driver licenses illegally. The audit report indicated that some licenses remained valid long after immigrant work permits expired, and others were issued without proof of the driver’s legal immigration status as verified by the state government. Duffy described this as just the “tip of the iceberg.”
After sending out revocation notices last month, the Sikh Coalition, representing around 20,000 immigrant truck drivers and business owners in California, filed a lawsuit against the state on December 22 in Los Angeles, seeking the reinstatement of their commercial driver’s licenses and driving privileges.
The coalition argues that revoking licenses will result in thousands of “qualified drivers being forced out of work with no resolution,” causing disruption to supply chains and services as they suddenly disappear from the roads.
Foreign commercial driver’s license holders have been notified that their licenses no longer meet federal requirements and will expire after 60 days.
Federal agencies previously required California to submit comprehensive audit data for all foreign CDLs for review.
The US Department of Transportation has withheld $40 million in funding from California after an investigation determined that the state failed to comply with federal English Language Proficiency requirements for commercial truck drivers.