DOT threatens $160M as California delays revoking 17,000 immigrant CDLs to March
California will delay revoking roughly 17,000 non‑domiciled commercial driver’s licenses until March to allow more time to ensure legally qualified immigrant truck and bus drivers keep their credentials, after the FMCSA blocked the state’s plan to resume issuing CDLs in mid‑December. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has warned the state could lose up to $160 million in federal highway funds (with $40 million already withheld) over missed Jan. 5 deadlines amid federal safety and alleged “CDL mill” fraud concerns, while immigrant advocates have filed a class‑action suit saying the DMV failed to provide promised reissuance or remedy for nearly 20,000 affected drivers.
📌 Key Facts
- California announced it will delay revoking about 17,000 non‑domiciled commercial driver’s licenses until March to give more time to ensure legally qualified immigrant truckers and bus drivers keep their licenses.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says California may lose up to $160 million in federal funds if it fails to meet a Jan. 5 deadline to revoke the licenses; the DOT has already withheld $40 million over alleged non‑enforcement of English‑proficiency rules.
- Duffy has publicly framed the enforcement push as a safety issue tied to recent deadly crashes and high holiday travel, and in interviews called the problem 'rampant fraud' at alleged 'CDL mills' where driving schools and DMVs purportedly issued licenses without proper training.
- A class‑action lawsuit was filed against the California DMV by Asian Law Caucus, Sikh Coalition and Weil, Gotshal & Manges on behalf of the Jakara Movement and five named drivers; plaintiffs say the DMV sent Nov. 6 notices canceling 17,299 non‑domiciled CDLs effective Jan. 5, 2026, plus December letters to about 2,700 more drivers warning of mid‑February cancellations (about 19,999 total), and that promised reissuance and a remedy process have not been implemented.
- The lawsuit argues the DMV cited errors in license expiration dates tied to work‑authorization documents and asks the agency to correct dates or cancel licenses without prejudice while providing a process to obtain corrected documents or contest cancellations; plaintiffs warn mass CDL cancellations could cause 'mass work stoppages' beginning Jan. 5, 2026.
- The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration blocked California’s plan to resume issuing commercial driver’s licenses in mid‑December.
- DOT has also targeted other states: it formally accused Colorado of noncompliance and threatened to withhold $24 million in federal highway funds from that state; Duffy has warned states including California, New York and Colorado risk losing 'millions' if improperly issued CDLs are not revoked.
- Background: immigrants make up about 20% of U.S. truck drivers; non‑domiciled CDLs are roughly 5% of commercial licenses (about 200,000 drivers). DOT has proposed new limits on which noncitizens can obtain CDLs, but a court has put those new rules on hold.
📊 Relevant Data
In 2023, the ethnic breakdown of US truck drivers was approximately 63% White, with Black, Hispanic, and Asian drivers increasing from 2014 levels, where White drivers were 77%.
ATRI report examines evolving truck driver demographics — FreightWaves
Approximately 150,000 Sikhs work in the US trucking industry, making up about 40% of truck drivers on the West Coast, compared to Sikhs comprising less than 1% of the US population.
Punjabi truckers, 1.5 lakh in US, face intense federal scrutiny as 44 pc driving schools fail rules — The Tribune India
About 3.8% of US CDL holders are limited English proficient, with around 9,500 truck drivers pulled off the road in 2025 for failing English-language proficiency requirements.
How Many U.S. Truck Drivers Don't Speak English? New Data Reveals Surprising Numbers — Max Dispatch Service
Immigrant participation in the US trucking industry is high due to labor shortages, with foreign-born drivers filling gaps that could widen without them, leading to increased transportation costs.
Addressing the U.S. Truck Driver Shortage: The Role of Foreign-Born Drivers, Visa Policy, and Supply Chain Impacts — Forum Together
There is no evidence that foreign-born truckers are more dangerous than native-born drivers, with overall trucking crashes decreasing in 2025 despite federal restrictions on foreign drivers.
Trucking Crashes Down In 2025 But DOT/FMCSA Target Foreign Non-Domiciled CDL Drivers — Cogo Insurance
📰 Sources (4)
- California has announced it will delay revoking 17,000 non‑domiciled commercial driver’s licenses until March to allow more time to ensure legally qualified immigrant truckers and bus drivers keep their licenses.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says California may lose $160 million in federal funds if it fails to meet a Jan. 5 deadline to revoke the licenses, and has already withheld $40 million over alleged non‑enforcement of English‑proficiency rules.
- The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has blocked California’s plan to resume issuing commercial driver’s licenses in mid‑December.
- The article ties the federal enforcement push to an August fatal crash in Florida and an October fatal crash in California, both involving Sikh truck drivers allegedly not authorized to be in the U.S.
- Immigrants account for about 20% of U.S. truck drivers, while non‑domiciled CDLs represent about 5% of all commercial licenses (~200,000 drivers), and DOT has proposed new restrictions on which noncitizens can obtain CDLs, though a court has put those rules on hold.
- Sean Duffy previously dropped a funding threat when California agreed to revoke licenses, but is now insisting the state has no 'extension' to delay revocations.
- Asian Law Caucus, Sikh Coalition and Weil, Gotshal & Manges filed a class-action lawsuit Tuesday against the California DMV on behalf of the Jakara Movement and five named truck drivers.
- The suit alleges the DMV sent Nov. 6 notices to 17,299 immigrant CDL holders stating their non-domiciled licenses would be canceled Jan. 5, 2026, and sent similar December letters to about 2,700 additional drivers warning of mid-February cancellations, for a total of 19,999 affected immigrants.
- Plaintiffs say DMV letters cite errors in license expiration dates tied to work-authorization documents, and argue the agency should instead correct dates or cancel licenses without prejudice and provide a process to obtain corrected documents or contest cancellations.
- The complaint claims California officials publicly said they would begin reissuing licenses on Dec. 17, 2025, but have neither reissued any nor set up a remedy process, despite imminent cancellation deadlines.
- The lawsuit frames the affected drivers as essential to local and national supply chains, warning that mass CDL cancellations could cause 'mass work stoppages' starting Jan. 5, 2026.
- Sean Duffy, in a Fox News interview, explicitly labels the problem 'rampant fraud' at 'CDL mills' where illegal immigrants are allegedly signed off by driving schools and then licensed by DMVs without proper training.
- DOT has formally accused Colorado of noncompliance and is specifically threatening to withhold $24 million in federal highway funds from the state over CDL issues.
- Duffy publicly states that states like California, New York and Colorado are already at risk of losing 'millions' in federal funding if they do not revoke improperly issued CDLs.
- Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is quoted (via AP) pushing back, saying the state has completed an investigation and is doing a final review before notifying CDL holders whose licenses were wrongly issued.
- Duffy links the enforcement push explicitly to holiday travel safety, citing AAA’s forecast that nearly 110 million Americans will drive this holiday season and warning untrained big‑rig drivers are a national risk.