New Regulations for Immigrant Truck Drivers

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has introduced new regulations aimed at preventing unsafe immigrant truck drivers from obtaining commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs).

According to a press release, the reform is meant to enhance safety by ensuring that foreign drivers must undergo consular and interagency vetting before obtaining 18-wheeler licenses.

The release highlighted that while U.S. drivers face extensive checks through national databases for prior violations, states are unable to review the driving records of immigrants or undocumented individuals aiming for CDLs.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy commented, “For too long, the United States has allowed dangerous foreign drivers to exploit our truck licensing system, causing chaos on our roads. This safety loophole is being closed.”

The press release elaborated:

The reforms prevent foreign drivers from securing a commercial driver’s license (CDL) without proper vetting. While U.S. drivers undergo thorough checks for violations like drunk driving or reckless behavior, states do not have access to the driving history of foreign nationals or undocumented immigrants. This gap in regulation allowed individuals with dangerous driving backgrounds to obtain truck licenses simply by presenting an Employment Authorization Document (EAD), which does not evaluate transportation safety.

Recently, it was reported that four Americans lost their lives when an immigrant truck driver from Kyrgyzstan was believed to have collided with their vehicle.

This latest incident follows a series of fatal crashes involving immigrant semi-truck drivers.

Back in November, Duffy disclosed that states may have wrongfully issued around 194,000 CDLs to foreign immigrant truck drivers who “do not meet DOT’s English language standards.”

He pointed out, “People who don’t understand English can’t read signs or know the rules of the road. That’s a significant issue,” during a TV interview at that time.