Revocation of Commercial Licenses in California
The U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, has revoked thousands of commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) granted to foreign nationals in California. This decision comes after the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) acknowledged that it had unlawfully issued around 17,000 non-addressed CDLs to foreign drivers. The announcement has put California Governor Gavin Newsom in a difficult position, as officials declare him “caught red-handed.”
This information surfaced from an ongoing audit being conducted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
“After weeks of insisting they did nothing wrong, Gavin Newsom and California were exposed,” Duffy stated. “We will revoke these 17,000 illegal truck licenses. This is just the beginning; we will ensure that all undocumented immigrants are removed from driving semi-trucks and school buses.”
The audit uncovered serious “policy, procedural, and programming errors” within the DMV. It identified that over a quarter of the sampled CDL records in California did not comply with federal regulations. Some licenses had been extended beyond the authorized work period, and in some cases, individuals had lost their legal residence in the U.S., or never had legal status to begin with.
The Secretary emphasized the importance of maintaining safety and integrity in transportation across the nation, urging accountability from the most populous states.
“This isn’t about politics,” Duffy remarked. “It’s about safety and the rule of law.”
Duffy has warned that California risks losing $160 million in federal funds and will see further revocations of CDLs issued to undocumented individuals who operate large vehicles unless it adheres to the Department of Transportation’s guidelines.
Furthermore, back in August, the department indicated that funding would be withheld if California did not comply with English language proficiency standards, to which the California Highway Patrol responded, stating they had “no intention of complying.” In May, new guidelines were signed, putting stricter enforcement on English proficiency for commercial vehicle drivers. Those not meeting the FMCSA requirements risk being suspended.
In late October, the DMV acknowledged that licenses had been handed out to “asylum seekers and refugees.” Now, California is required to conduct a complete audit of its CDL program to allow the federal government to revoke any illegal licenses and prevent future regulatory failures.
