USDOT audit threatens $30M over illegal MN CDLs
Federal auditors from the U.S. Department of Transportation say Minnesota improperly issued a sizable share of commercial driver’s licenses to foreign nationals — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy alleged about one‑third were unlawfully issued, including holders from El Salvador, Somalia and Ukraine with expired work authorization — and have given the state 30 days to fix deficiencies or risk losing roughly $30 million in federal highway funds. Minnesota’s Driver and Vehicle Services has paused issuing CDLs to foreign nationals while conducting an internal review and preparing an action plan, and USDOT is also probing CDL training centers for possible falsified training data and curriculum shortfalls.
📌 Key Facts
- USDOT has given Minnesota a 30‑day deadline to comply or risk losing roughly $30 million in federal highway funding.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy alleged about one‑third of CDLs issued to foreign nationals in Minnesota were unlawfully issued.
- Duffy cited examples of license holders from El Salvador, Somalia, and Ukraine whose work authorization had expired.
- Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) has paused issuing CDLs to foreign nationals while it conducts an internal review and prepares an action plan.
- USDOT is investigating Minnesota CDL training centers for possibly falsifying training data and not meeting required curriculum standards.
📊 Relevant Data
Nearly 19% of truck drivers are foreign-born, compared to 17% of the overall American workforce.
Trucking Crashes Down In 2025 But DOT/FMCSA Target Foreign-Born CDL Drivers For "Safety" — COGO Insurance
In California, where 75% of truckers are immigrants, the fatal crash rate for commercial driver's license holders is nearly 40% lower than the national average.
WATCH: Duffy says states must withdraw commercial driver licenses from foreigners who overstay visas — PBS NewsHour
Non-domiciled CDL holders are not overrepresented in fatal crashes relative to their presence in the driving population.
Trucking Crashes Down In 2025 But DOT/FMCSA Target Foreign-Born CDL Drivers For "Safety" — COGO Insurance
Nationally, 18.3% of truck drivers identify as Black, 4% as Asian, and 23.3% as Hispanic.
Professional Truck Driver Stats & Demographics — Arrow Truck Sales, Inc.
📰 Sources (2)
- USDOT is also investigating Minnesota CDL training centers for possibly falsifying training data and not meeting curriculum standards.
- Minnesota DVS has paused issuing CDLs to foreign nationals while it conducts an internal review and prepares an action plan.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy alleged about one‑third of such licenses were unlawfully issued and cited examples of holders from El Salvador, Somalia, and Ukraine with expired work authorization.
- State faces a 30‑day deadline to comply or risk losing roughly $30 million in federal highway funding.