WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation said Wednesday that 17,000 commercial truck driver’s licenses issued to foreigners in California will be revoked.

In a statement, the agency said it has issued notices to the drivers who hold so-called non-domiciled CDLs, saying the licenses do not meet federal requirements and will expire in 60 days.

What You Need To Know

The U.S. Department of Transportation said Wednesday that 17,000 commercial truck driver’s licenses issued to foreigners in California will be revoked

In a statement, the agency said it has issued notices to the drivers who hold so-called non-domiciled CDLs, saying the licenses do not meet federal requirements and will expire in 60 days

Responding to the announcement, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office wrote on X: “Once again, the Sean ‘Road Rules’ Duffy fails to share the truth — spreading easily disproven falsehoods in a sad and desperate attempt to please his ‘dear leader”

The issue of foreign-born truck drivers first came to the fore in August, following a fatal crash in Florida involving India-born driver Harjinder Singh who was using a commercial driver’s license issued in California

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement. “My team will continue to force California to prove they have removed every illegal immigrant from behind the wheel of semitrucks and school buses.” 

The California Department of Motor Vehicles did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the license revocations.

Responding to the DOT announcement, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office wrote on X: “Once again, the Sean ‘Road Rules’ Duffy fails to share the truth — spreading easily disproven falsehoods in a sad and desperate attempt to please his ‘dear leader.’ He did, however, finally acknowledge that federal government issued these drivers work permits.”

Newsom’s office said the licenses are being withdrawn because of an inconsistency with California law, adding that the new federal requirements were not in effect at the time the licenses were issued.

“These drivers are not ‘illegal immigrants,’” the post read. “All had legal presence and had been granted work authorization by the federal government as confirmed by the federal government.

The DOT contends California issued licenses with expiration dates that exceeded foreign drivers’ work permits.

The issue of foreign-born truck drivers first came to the fore in August, following a fatal crash in Florida involving India-born driver Harjinder Singh, who was using a commercial driver’s license issued in California. The California Department of Motor Vehicles told Spectrum News that its issuance of a non-domiciled CDL to Singh had followed all federal and state laws and that it confirmed Singh’s legal presence in the United States with the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, system before issuing him a Real ID.

In August, the Transportation Department threatened to withhold funding from the state, saying California hadn’t complied with its English language proficiency standards. In October, it followed through, withholding at least $40 million in Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program funding that helps the state conduct roadside inspections and safety audits of trucking companies.

Since it was established in 1937, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has required commercial vehicle drivers to be able to read and speak English well enough to converse with the public, understand highway traffic signs and signals, and respond to official inquiries. While inspectors frequently cite drivers for violating the rule, the requirement that they be removed from service had not been enforced since 2014.

That changed in May, when the Department of Transportation issued a new rule for truck drivers’ English proficiency. It cited safety concerns as the rationale for enforcement of the longstanding federal law that requires commercial truck drivers speak English to remain in operation. The new rule called for commercial drivers who are not proficient in English to be placed out of service beginning June 25.

The DOT’s English language proficiency enforcement guidance stemmed from an executive order President Donald Trump signed in April to enact “commonsense rules for the road for America’s truck drivers.” The order directed Duffy to rescind guidance developed during the Obama administration that allowed non-English-speaking commercial drivers to remain in service even if they violated a national regulation requiring English proficiency.