California immigrant truck drivers face license uncertainty as deadline looms

Thousands of immigrant truck drivers in California are facing uncertainty as a judge has ordered the state to address a problem that could lead to the cancellation of their licenses, with a deadline approaching on March 6.Amarjit Singh, a truck driver, expressed concern over the potential cancellation of his commercial driver’s license, saying, “Canceling the license, making hardship for that. How are we going to pay? Otherwise, I have to do the bankruptcy. It’s going to be a bad record, and a future opportunity is going to be stopped for me also.”Singh is among many drivers who received a letter from the California DMV notifying them that their commercial driver’s licenses could be canceled. The notice stated that the DMV reviewed their legal presence documents and determined their licenses do not match federal guidelines regarding work authorization expiration dates.Last year, the DMV began canceling some commercial licenses belonging to drivers with temporary legal status, including asylum seekers, DACA recipients, and TPS holders.This week, the Superior Court of California in Alameda County ordered the DMV to fix the issue affecting thousands of drivers whose licenses were set to expire on March 6.The judge’s decision comes in response to a class-action lawsuit filed by the Sikh Coalition, Asian Law Caucus, and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP on behalf of commercial drivers and the Jakara Movement.Katherine Zhao from the Asian Law Caucus said, “We are very encouraged by this decision. It does highlight what the state needs to do, that the state needs to follow its own law even in the face of federal pressure, but we do want to call upon the state to still do the right thing and not have the cancellations go into effect on March 6.”The court order requires the DMV to create a process to prevent some wrongful cancellations and allow other drivers to quickly reapply if their license is canceled. However, the ruling does not automatically stop all cancellations, meaning some drivers could temporarily lose their ability to work while the new process is put into place.Zhao added, “I think that we are disappointed that drivers still have to face a tough – potentially tough – outcome March 6th, but I think we are also hopeful that the state, now that the action’s in their court, may decide to take action and do the right thing.”The decision allows about 20,000 immigrant truck drivers to reapply for their commercial licenses, which the DMV must reissue within a reasonable time. But for drivers like Singh, uncertainty remains. Singh noted, “I see it in the news, and all they talk about is 17,000, 20,000. It’s not 17,000 or 20,000. Multiply that. I have three family members. If you’re four family members, it’s 80,000 people.”For many, even a short gap without a license could mean lost income while the state works to implement the court’s order.Last year, two deadly crashes made national headlines, one in August and one in October, both involving immigrant truck drivers with commercial licenses in California. Those cases sparked criticism from the Trump administration, which then launched an audit.The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said its audit in the fall identified problems with truckers and bus drivers who had licenses that showed they were valid long after their visas were set to expire.State officials say the issue stems from a federal requirement that commercial licenses cannot be valid longer than a driver’s work authorization.Federal officials also warned that California could lose millions in highway funding if it failed to revoke thousands of licenses.KCRA reached out to the DMV to ask when they plan to implement the court’s order and whether they can ensure compliance before the March 6 deadline. As of the posting of this article, they have not respondedSee more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

Thousands of immigrant truck drivers in California are facing uncertainty as a judge has ordered the state to address a problem that could lead to the cancellation of their licenses, with a deadline approaching on March 6.

Amarjit Singh, a truck driver, expressed concern over the potential cancellation of his commercial driver’s license, saying, “Canceling the license, making hardship for that. How are we going to pay? Otherwise, I have to do the bankruptcy. It’s going to be a bad record, and a future opportunity is going to be stopped for me also.”

Singh is among many drivers who received a letter from the California DMV notifying them that their commercial driver’s licenses could be canceled. The notice stated that the DMV reviewed their legal presence documents and determined their licenses do not match federal guidelines regarding work authorization expiration dates.

Last year, the DMV began canceling some commercial licenses belonging to drivers with temporary legal status, including asylum seekers, DACA recipients, and TPS holders.

This week, the Superior Court of California in Alameda County ordered the DMV to fix the issue affecting thousands of drivers whose licenses were set to expire on March 6.

The judge’s decision comes in response to a class-action lawsuit filed by the Sikh Coalition, Asian Law Caucus, and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP on behalf of commercial drivers and the Jakara Movement.

Katherine Zhao from the Asian Law Caucus said, “We are very encouraged by this decision. It does highlight what the state needs to do, that the state needs to follow its own law even in the face of federal pressure, but we do want to call upon the state to still do the right thing and not have the cancellations go into effect on March 6.”

The court order requires the DMV to create a process to prevent some wrongful cancellations and allow other drivers to quickly reapply if their license is canceled. However, the ruling does not automatically stop all cancellations, meaning some drivers could temporarily lose their ability to work while the new process is put into place.

Zhao added, “I think that we are disappointed that drivers still have to face a tough – potentially tough – outcome March 6th, but I think we are also hopeful that the state, now that the action’s in their court, may decide to take action and do the right thing.”

The decision allows about 20,000 immigrant truck drivers to reapply for their commercial licenses, which the DMV must reissue within a reasonable time. But for drivers like Singh, uncertainty remains. Singh noted, “I see it in the news, and all they talk about is 17,000, 20,000. It’s not 17,000 or 20,000. Multiply that. I have three family members. If you’re four family members, it’s 80,000 people.”

For many, even a short gap without a license could mean lost income while the state works to implement the court’s order.

Last year, two deadly crashes made national headlines, one in August and one in October, both involving immigrant truck drivers with commercial licenses in California. Those cases sparked criticism from the Trump administration, which then launched an audit.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said its audit in the fall identified problems with truckers and bus drivers who had licenses that showed they were valid long after their visas were set to expire.

State officials say the issue stems from a federal requirement that commercial licenses cannot be valid longer than a driver’s work authorization.

Federal officials also warned that California could lose millions in highway funding if it failed to revoke thousands of licenses.

KCRA reached out to the DMV to ask when they plan to implement the court’s order and whether they can ensure compliance before the March 6 deadline. As of the posting of this article, they have not responded

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel