California Illegally Issued 17,000 Trucking Licenses; Feds Revoke Them
The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has admitted to unlawfully issuing approximately 17,000 non-domiciled Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs) to foreign nationals, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Wednesday.
The revelation follows an intense, ongoing federal investigation by the Trump administration into how foreign drivers, including undocumented migrants, managed to obtain CDLs despite federal regulations, often after being involved in deadly highway accidents.
“After weeks of claiming they did nothing wrong, Gavin Newsom and California have been caught red-handed,” Secretary Duffy said in a public statement. “Now that we’ve exposed their lies, 17,000 illegally issued trucking licenses are being revoked.”
Non-domiciled CDLs are generally issued to foreign nationals who are not residents of the state and who are not American citizens or green card holders. An audit by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) had previously flagged California as the most egregious offender, finding that more than 25% of non-domiciled CDLs reviewed in the state were improperly issued.
Mass License Revocation Underway
The DOT confirmed that notices have been sent to all roughly 17,000 non-domiciled CDL holders, informing them that their licenses do not meet federal standards and will expire within the next two months.
The FMCSA is now requiring the California DMV to conduct a full audit of its non-domiciled CDLs to ensure federal investigators can verify that every unlawfully issued license has been pulled from circulation.
“This is just the tip of iceberg,” Duffy continued, vowing to remain vigilant. “My team will continue to force California to prove they have removed every illegal immigrant from behind the wheel of semitrucks and school buses.”
Escalating Federal Action and Funding Threats
The DOT investigation was launched in response to a string of fatal accidents involving migrant truck drivers who had obtained non-domiciled CDLs, with one driver reportedly failing basic English and road sign tests following their crash.
The ongoing safety concerns and alleged non-compliance have already led to financial repercussions for the Golden State. The DOT announced in October that it was withholding over $40 million from California after finding that state officials failed to comply with federal English Language Proficiency standards—a requirement that the California Highway Patrol had previously declared it had no intention of adhering to.
The Trump administration is now threatening to pull an additional $160 million in federal funds from California unless the state fully complies and revokes all illegally issued non-domiciled CDLs.
“California’s reckless disregard is frankly disgusting and an affront to the millions of Americans who expect us to keep them safe,” Duffy had previously stated, underscoring the seriousness of the safety breaches.
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