Federal–State Regulatory Conflicts

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration disclosed that 54% of reviewed non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses issued by North Carolina to foreign nationals were illegal, and warned the state it could lose nearly $50 million in federal funding if it does not revoke them. In a letter to Gov. Josh Stein and state Public Safety Commissioner Paul Tine, FMCSA ordered an immediate pause on issuing non-domiciled CDLs, mandated identification and revocation or reissuance of all noncompliant licenses, and required a comprehensive internal audit, framing the move as part of a Trump-ordered nationwide CDL safety review following fatal crashes involving foreign national truckers.