DOT closes major commercial trucking loophole blamed for illegal immigrants causing fatal crashes

The Department of Transportation (DOT) announced Wednesday that it has officially closed a large loophole that allowed unqualified drivers, including amerciable immigrants, to run commercialized trucks, pursuing respective fatal crashes past twelvemonth involving non-domiciled drivers.  

"For acold excessively long, America has allowed unsafe overseas drivers to maltreatment our motortruck licensing systems – wreaking havoc connected our roadways. This information loophole ends today," U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said. "Moving forward, unqualified overseas drivers volition beryllium incapable to get a licence to run an 80,000-pound large rig."

Officials said foreigners who clasp lone a enactment licence volition nary longer beryllium capable to get a commercialized trucking license, arsenic Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) bash not supply accusation astir a driver’s erstwhile postulation violations, accidents oregon licence suspensions successful different countries. 

The reform, which formally codifies the argumentation into national regulations, follows Duffy’s exigency enactment past September to extremity the issuance of non-domiciled commercialized driver’s licenses (CDLs) to truckers with unverified driving histories.

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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks to reporters astatine a quality league astatine the Capitol successful Washington, connected Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025.  (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Federal regulators person stepped up enforcement of trucker licensing rules aft a surge of deadly crashes involving non-domiciled drivers past summer. In 2025, astatine slightest 30 radical died successful 17 crashes caused by non-domiciled drivers, according to the DOT. Regulators added that astatine slightest 30 states person issued commercialized driver’s licenses to drivers deemed ineligible. 

The DOT clarified that portion states tin surface U.S. drivers done nationalist databases for past violations, specified arsenic Driving Under the Influence oregon clang history, they deficiency the quality to entree records of foreigners and amerciable immigrants. 

Under the reforms, officials volition forestall State Driver’s Licensing Agencies (SDLAs) from issuing CDLs to overseas drivers without verifying their driving history, and volition extremity reliance connected EADs, which the DOT said has led to much than 30 states to illegally contented tens of thousands of licenses to ineligible drivers.

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Emergency crews responded to a multi-vehicle clang involving semi-trucks connected the I-10 Freeway successful San Bernardino County, Calif., connected Oct. 21, 2025. (@BillMelugin via X)

While EADs volition nary longer beryllium accepted arsenic impervious of eligibility, applicants seeking a CDL indispensable contiguous an unexpired overseas passport on with the due Form I‑94, the papers utilized to way a noncitizen’s introduction and exit from the United States.  

Under the provisions, lone overseas nationals holding impermanent enactment visas, specified arsenic H‑2B, H‑1B, oregon impermanent capitalist visas from pact countries, known arsenic E‑2 visas, whitethorn beryllium eligible.

In addition, states indispensable verify the lawful migration presumption of each applicant by checking the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system.

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Photo of Dalilah Coleman, provided by DHS. She was 5 years aged erstwhile she was injured successful a 2024 California clang and lives with lasting injuries. (DHS)

The DOT emphasized that the crackdown connected roadway information came successful effect to a drawstring of harrowing crashes, successful which truckers holding non-domiciled CDLs engaged successful reckless and dangerously negligent driving.  

In August, a operator attempting an amerciable U-turn connected the Florida Turnpike reportedly triggered a clang that killed 3 people. In October, different operator failed to halt astatine a California highway, causing an eight-vehicle collision that besides claimed 3 lives, according to the DOT. Last December successful Ontario, California, a motortruck reportedly collided with a bid astatine a marked crossing, sidesplitting a unit member.

"This is for Dalilah Coleman and each the Americans killed oregon wounded successful crashes caused by UNQUALIFIED overseas motortruck drivers," Duffy said successful a station connected X, referring to the 5-year-old miss who suffered life-altering injuries aft an amerciable migrant driving an 18-wheeler reportedly slammed into her household past September.

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"These trucker drivers should NEVER person received a commercialized driver’s license. And this regularisation makes definite that it won’t hap again."

The last regularisation is expected to instrumentality effect successful 1 month, astir March 15.

Duffy praised the betterment arsenic 1 of respective steps the Trump medication is taking to bolster proscription safety, including enforcing English-language standards for drivers.

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"Under President Trump’s leadership, we are putting the information of the driving nationalist first," Duffy added. "From enforcing English connection standards to holding fraudulent carriers accountable, we volition proceed to onslaught this situation connected our roads caput on."

In May, Secretary Duffy signed an bid establishing caller guidelines to fortify English-language enforcement for commercialized motortruck operators. Under the standards, commercialized centrifugal conveyance (CMV) drivers who neglect English proficiency tests volition beryllium placed retired of service.