US Transportation Department Tightens Non-Citizen Truck Driver Rules After Florida Crash

The Transportation Department on Wednesday announced tighter rules for non-citizens seeking commercial driver licenses, citing three fatal crashes this year attributed to immigrant truck drivers who officials say should not have held licenses. The nationwide audit began after a fatal U-turn crash on Florida’s Turnpike that killed two people and involved a driver described by officials as in the country illegally.

Under the new policy, only non-citizens who hold visas such as H-2A, H-2B or E-2 will be eligible to obtain a CDL. An employment authorization document alone will not meet the standard. All states have been ordered to pause issuing CDs to non-citizens until they can comply with the new rules. The department’s review also found licenses issued improperly in California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas and Washington. Officials said roughly 190,000 of the 200,000 non-citizen CDLs reviewed should never have been issued under the current rules. California has a 30-day deadline to audit its program and present a plan to comply or risk losing $160 million in federal funding. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the current rules aren’t strict enough and a number of states aren’t following them. "We have a government system designed to keep American families on the road safe. But that system has been compromised." The department said all states must pause issuing commercial driver licenses to non-citizens until they can comply with the new rules.

The Florida crash occurred Aug. 12 on the Turnpike about 50 miles north of West Palm Beach. Investigators say Harjinder Singh, driving a tractor-trailer, illegally turned from the northbound lanes into the path of a minivan traveling behind him, blocking the northbound roadway. Two passengers in the minivan died at the scene and the driver of the minivan died later at a hospital. Singh and a passenger in his own truck were not injured. Authorities say Singh is charged with three counts of vehicular homicide and immigration violations. The federal government has asked that he be transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody after his criminal case is complete. An arraignment is scheduled for Monday on charges of vehicular homicide and manslaughter, according to court records in St. Lucie County. Singh has retained private counsel.

The case has sparked a broader political clash. President Donald Trump and Transportation Secretary Duffy voiced outrage over the crash, while California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other state officials pressed back on federal concerns about driver qualifications. The controversy comes as officials across several states confront the audit’s findings and the administration presses for tougher enforcement of licensing standards for non-citizens. The measures are intended to reduce risks on the nation’s roads by ensuring that those who hold commercial licenses meet the same stringent requirements regardless of where they received the license.

The policy shift is not retroactive. Officials say that while many licenses issued to non-citizens in recent years would have been disallowed under the updated rules, those drivers will not be required to surrender existing licenses. The changes apply to new issuances and renewals going forward, a distinction state officials say will limit immediate disruption while authorities work to bring programs into compliance.

The crackdown reflects a broader push by the federal government to tighten licensing standards for non-citizens and to ensure states comply with English-proficiency requirements and other criteria enacted or phased in during the past year. Officials say the steps are designed to improve safety on the road and restore public confidence in the licensing process, while also acknowledging the trucking industry’s continued demand for workers. The dialogue between state and federal officials, sparked in part by the Florida incident, underscores the ongoing tension over immigration policy, labor shortages and how to enforce uniform standards across a large and diverse transportation system.