Up to 200,000 immigrant truck drivers in the United States could lose their commercial driving licences as a new federal rule introduced by the Trump administration comes into force.
The regulation, which took effect on Monday, prevents certain non-citizens – including asylum seekers, refugees and recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) – from obtaining or renewing commercial driver’s licences (CDLs).
Existing licences remain valid until their expiry, meaning the impact is expected to build gradually rather than occur immediately.
The change also targets Indian drivers who are legally permitted to work in the US but do not hold permanent residency or citizenship.
Federal authorities argue the measure is necessary to strengthen safety standards, with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy saying gaps in verifying overseas driving histories meant regulators had “zero insight” into some drivers’ records.
The rule follows several high-profile crashes involving foreign-born drivers last year, most notably a fatal incident in August 2025 involving Harjinder Singh, an Indian immigrant truck driver accused of causing a collision that killed three people in Fort Pierce, Florida. Officials cited the crash as a justification for tightening commercial driver licensing requirements.
Singh, 28, was operating a commercial semi-truck with a trailer on the Florida Turnpike when he allegedly attempted a U-turn in an unauthorised area. The trailer jackknifed and collided with a minivan, killing all three passengers. Authorities said Singh entered the U.S. illegally in 2018 via the southern border and later obtained a commercial driver’s licence in California. His attempt to gain work authorisation was rejected by the Trump administration on 14 September 2020, according to Tricia McLaughlin, Homeland Security assistant secretary for public affairs.
In response, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced last year in August that the U.S. is halting work visas for foreign commercial truck drivers, a measure welcomed by conservative lawmakers following the deadly crash.
The administration maintains that more rigorous vetting is needed to ensure road safety.
Industry experts warn the policy could place additional strain on the US trucking sector, which moves more than 70 per cent of the country’s freight and is already dealing with high fuel costs and persistent driver turnover.
While immigrant drivers account for a relatively small share of the workforce – about 5 per cent – a reduced labour pool could increase operating costs for transport companies.
It is reported that this rule forms part of a broader regulatory crackdown on the trucking industry.
Authorities have stepped up enforcement of English-language requirements for drivers and moved to revoke certification from thousands of training providers deemed non-compliant with federal standards.
Legal challenges to the licensing rule are ongoing, and further legislative action may follow. Republican lawmakers have introduced a bill that would go beyond the current policy by immediately revoking licences from similar groups of drivers, though it has yet to be put to a vote.
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