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States Must Halt Noncitizen CDL Issuance Until Meeting New Federal Requirements; California Faces $160 Million Penalty
The Department of Transportation has Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration auditWhat the New Rules Require
As of Sept. 26, an FMCSA interim final rule imposes strict requirements for noncitizens to obtain a CDL or CLP. The changes include limiting eligibility to those holding lawful status in the U.S. for certain employment-based, non-immigrant categories and eliminating online and mail-in renewals in favor of mandatory in-person renewals.
States issuing these licenses must now:
- Form I-94/94A expiration dates or set licenses to expire in one year, whichever is sooner.
- Downgrade non-domiciled CDLs/CLPs if drivers become ineligible.
- Pause issuance of non-domiciled CDLs.
- Identify all unexpired non-domiciled CDLs that fail to comply with FMCSA regulations.
- Revoke all noncompliant non-domiciled CDLs and reissue those that comply with the new federal requirements.
Duffy also singled out Colorado, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas and Washington for licensing failures, warning that any state found noncompliant could lose issuance authority. Why This Matters Now
The audit revealed widespread problems including CDLs and CLPs issued to ineligible drivers and licenses remaining valid verifying the underlying immigration documentsImpact on the Industry
When asked whether removing illegal non-domiciled CDL holdersboth welcome and necessaryBackground on Non-Domiciled Licenses
|Staff Reporter?
Truck drivers from outside the US face new license restrictions as DOT threatens to withhold money from Californiawas indicted for 22 counts, including manslaughter.
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In August on the Florida Turnpike a truck driver making an illegal U-turnregardless of immigration status,