1 week ago
Nearly 200,000 US motortruck drivers are astatine consequence of losing their commercialized driver’s licenses aft nan US Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a new norm that disqualifies galore foreign-born motortruck drivers from getting aliases renewing their licenses.
Tens of thousands of migrant drivers are stuck successful a limbo aft nan norm took effect successful March, and lawsuits challenging nan norm are still being reviewed by national courts.
The norm restricts licenses to immigrants who person circumstantial employment authorization statuses, disqualifying those pinch different authorizations, including asylum seekers, refugees and those pinch Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) status.
The norm has shaken migrant drivers who person spent years dedicated to nan industry.
Sarabjeet Singh, a motortruck driver from India who has worked in cardinal California for nan past 12 years, said he attempted to renew his licence past period erstwhile it expired but was turned away.
Kavita Patel, Singh’s wife, said nan nonaccomplishment of his licence has been devastating for their full family.
“This not only affected america financially, but this is simply a immense load mentally, emotionally, physically,” she said. “People deliberation you tin conscionable find different job, but your full accomplishment group [and] acquisition has been built astir driving this large rig.”
“It’s benignant of a fearfulness and helplessness that comes from waking up 1 time and realizing, ‘Oh, conjecture what, your profession that you built is abruptly each gone successful 1 night,’” she added.
A spokesperson for nan Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration deferred remark to a press release connected nan policy. They denied nan argumentation alteration toward immigrants is racist.
In a press release connected nan caller rule, nan US proscription secretary, Sean Duffy, said that licenses are “being issued to vulnerable overseas drivers – often times illegally”.
“This is simply a nonstop threat to nan information of each family connected nan road, and I won’t guidelines for it,” he said.
Duffy cited 5 fatal accidents involving migrant motortruck drivers to warrant nan rule, though these accidents comprised conscionable 0.31% of each large-truck fatal accidents successful nan US for nan first half of 2025. A 5th of motortruck drivers progressive successful fatal accidents were driving without a commercialized license.
In April 2026, a non-domicile motortruck driver pinch Daca migration position confronted Duffy astatine an event, demanding to cognize why Daca recipients were being made ineligible to clasp commercialized drivers licenses. Duffy claimed “well, it shouldn’t” erstwhile asked why Daca holders are now prevented from having a license. A spokesperson for nan Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) claimed he misheard nan driver and misspoke.
The US caput of state, Marco Rubio, made akin claims that nan expanding number of migrant motortruck drivers posed a information threat and was “undercutting nan livelihoods of American truckers”, aft nan authorities section abruptly announced it would extremity issuing activity visas for commercialized motortruck drivers past August.
Critics of nan norm statement that nan Trump administration has provided nary information to substantiate claims that overseas commercialized driver’s licence (CDL) holders airs a circumstantial information threat. About 5,200 ample trucks were progressive successful fatal accidents successful 2024, a 3% alteration from nan erstwhile year, according to nan National Safety Council.
“While DOT premised its norm connected safety, its ain information indicated that nan CDL holders excluded by nan norm (immigrant drivers) were progressive successful fatal crashes astatine a little complaint than CDL holders who are not excluded, meaning nan norm would worsen, and not improve, safety,” wrote nan AFL-CIO, nan largest federation of labour unions successful nan US, successful a letter to Congress successful March.
The Trump administration’s framing of migrant motortruck drivers has started to style nationalist perception: galore of nan public comments made successful support of nan norm mention aliases mention “illegal” immigrants, contempt nan norm affecting immigrants pinch ineligible activity authorization successful nan US.
Leaders successful Democratic-led states for illustration New York person tried to garbage nan DOT’s request to revoke CDLs from definite drivers, but nan DOT has threatened to withhold national proscription backing successful response.
Immigrant motortruck drivers opportunity nan norm unfairly affects those who are successful nan country, obtained their commercialized licenses legally and person maintained cleanable driving records.
The targeting predates nan Trump administration’s caller rule. Last April, Arkansas’s governor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, signed into rule an English proficiency request for motortruck drivers.
Ignacio Romero, who has worked arsenic a motortruck driver successful California for 37 years, said location is simply a broader mover targeting overseas and drivers of color, apt stemming from nan influx of migrant motortruck drivers entering nan manufacture successful caller years. From 2000 to 2021, foreign-born motortruck drivers successful nan US accrued from 316,000 to much than 720,000 drivers.
“I knowledgeable a batch of racism passim my 37 years of driving. We are perpetually being profiled. I’ve been stopped 3 times this year,” said Romero. “I judge nan sentiment for our information is right, but … let’s attraction connected nan ones involved. Why conscionable put a wide broad connection and punish 200,000 for nan existent 5 drivers [who were successful accidents]?”
He added, “I’ve ever been suspicious that it was much racism, much broad statements than holding nan individuals progressive successful those events accountable,”
The norm besides affects motortruck drivers who are transporting equipment from crossed nan border. Julio Ortiz, a motortruck driver based retired of Mexico, said nan norm is unfair arsenic personification who has traveled often successful and retired of nan US.
“I judge it’s a sedate correction to spot specified an obstacle successful nan way of group who simply wish to activity honestly,” Ortiz said.
Narinder Johal, a motortruck driver based successful California for astir 30 years, based on nan motortruck drivers who break nan laws and get forbidden licenses are not nan ones affected by nan norm change.
“The group who were working, paying their taxes, fulfilling each nan rules and regulations, what nan authorities issued, they’re disconnected nan roadworthy correct now,” said Johal.
Billy Randel, a motortruck driver based successful New York for decades and main organizer of Truckers Movement for Justice, based on that changes to trucking manufacture has wounded each motortruck drivers, including US citizens. All motortruck drivers person faced lower wages and worse moving conditions successful caller decades for nan liking of profit, yet nan animosity is targeted astatine immigrants, he said.
“They’re focused connected nan worker who speaks little, if any, English, who came present looking for a amended life,” said Randel. “They forgot their ancestors did nan aforesaid thing.”
