NEW YORK- New York Attorney General Letitia James is suing the Trump administration to block federal access to personal information belonging to millions of commercial drivers.
The administration is seeking the records as part of efforts to verify commercial driver’s license eligibility, conduct safety reviews, and support immigration enforcement. Federal officials have also raised concerns about improper issuance of commercial licenses, including to some non-domiciled drivers and problems at CDL training schools.
The dispute centers on the Commercial Driver’s License Information System, or CDLIS, a state-owned database containing records for about 17 million commercial drivers nationwide. The information includes names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers, with records dating back five years.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration demanded the database from the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators in July and threatened to terminate federal grants and contracts if the records were not provided. The association has indicated it plans to turn over the information Monday, August 17, absent court intervention. The Department of Homeland Security issued a separate subpoena for the database on August 11.
James and the other states argue that the federal government is exceeding its authority and putting sensitive personal information at risk. The administration, meanwhile, says access to the records is needed to help enforce federal requirements governing commercial drivers and identify potentially invalid or improperly issued licenses.
For nearly 40 years, states have used CDLIS to check whether commercial drivers are properly licensed and whether they have been disqualified or have safety violations in another state. New York’s Department of Motor Vehicles queries the system about 30,000 times a day.
New York officials say losing federal funding for CDLIS could disrupt the state’s ability to issue and renew commercial licenses, affecting nearly 20,000 commercial learner’s permit holders and roughly 500,000 CDL holders.
The states are asking a federal court to block the transfer while the lawsuit proceeds, arguing that the administration’s demand violates federal privacy laws and the Constitution.