WASHINGTON \u2014 A showdown between the U.S. Department of Transportation and the State of California reached a breaking point on Wednesday after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will withhold approximately $160 million in safety program money from the state.<\/p>\n
The move follows California\u2019s failure to meet a January 5 deadline to cancel more than 17,000 commercial truck driver\u2019s licenses that Duffy asserts were unlawfully issued by the state to foreign truckers.<\/p>\n
The California Department of Motor Vehicles announced in late December<\/a> that it would delay the cancellation until March 6, but FMCSA did not agree to the extension.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s reckoning day for [Governor] Gavin Newsom and California,\u201d Duffy stated in a press release announcing a final determination letter<\/a> that was sent to Newsom and the DMV.<\/p>\n \u201cOur demands were simple: follow the rules, revoke the unlawfully-issued licenses to dangerous foreign drivers, and fix the system so this never happens again. Gavin Newsom has failed to do so \u2013 putting the needs of illegal immigrants over the safety of the American people.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile Gavin may not care about protecting you and your family on our roads, the Trump Administration does. We\u2019re pulling this funding to ensure federal tax dollars don\u2019t fund this charade.\u201d<\/p>\n A nationwide audit issued by FMCSA last summer of non-domiciled CDLs \u2013 which allow individuals who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents to obtain commercial licenses \u2013 uncovered what government officials called a \u201csystemic collapse\u201d in California, where licenses were allegedly issued with expiration dates years beyond a driver\u2019s lawful presence in the U.S.<\/p>\n FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs emphasized that the agency would not compromise on the removal of these drivers from the road.<\/p>\n \u201cFederal regulations are clear: states must correct safety deficiencies on a schedule mutually agreed upon by the agency, and California failed to meet its commitment,\u201d Barrs stated. \u201cWe will not accept a corrective plan that knowingly leaves thousands of drivers holding noncompliant licenses behind the wheel of 80,000-pound trucks in open defiance of federal safety regulations.\u201d<\/p>\n The $160 million penalty marks the first year of potential sanctions. Under federal law, if California continues to defy the FMCSA\u2019s Final Determination, the amount withheld could double in the second year.<\/p>\n FreightWaves has reached out to California state officials for comment.<\/p>\n The crackdown is expected to further tighten capacity in a West Coast freight market already grappling with shifts in regulatory policy. FreightWaves has previously reported on the potential for capacity crunches<\/a> as thousands of drivers \u2013 many of whom have been integral to spot market operations \u2013 are forced out of service.<\/p>\n Todd Spencer, president of the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association, said the crackdown on non-domiciled CDLs is overdue. \u201cThe days of exploiting cheap labor on the basis of false \u2018driver shortage\u2019 claims are over,\u201d Spencer said in a press statement in response to DOT\u2019s latest announcement.<\/p>\n \u201cFor too long, loopholes in this program have allowed unqualified drivers onto our highways, putting professional truckers and the motoring public at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n Related articles:<\/p>\n