US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has vowed to fight a federal appeals court decision blocking new restrictions on immigrants obtaining commercial driver’s licences, saying the ruling threatens public safety.
Fox News reported that the Washington, D.C. court ruled the Department of Transportation (DOT) failed to follow proper procedure when introducing the September restrictions, introduced after an illegal Indian immigrant truck driver was charged over an alleged fatal crash that killed three people in Florida.
Duffy responded on social media, declaring:
“I will fight this ruling. Our national audit has exposed a complete breakdown in how states issue non-domiciled licences — allowing thousands of dangerous drivers on the road… This is a crisis that requires immediate action.”
The rules, now halted, were designed to close what the DOT called a loophole allowing foreign nationals to obtain trucking licences without sufficiently proving they qualified. Judges noted, however, that federal data shows immigrants hold about 5% of commercial licences but account for just 0.2% of fatal crashes.
The overturned rule followed the case of Harjinder Singh, an Indian citizen who allegedly entered the US illegally in 2018.
Singh has pleaded not guilty to multiple homicide and manslaughter charges after allegedly jackknifing his truck during an illegal U-turn, causing a van to collide with his trailer.
Court filings showed Singh allegedly failed his commercial licence knowledge test 10 times in Washington state, twice failed the air-brakes test, and did not pass an English-language assessment. He ultimately received his licence in California.
A subsequent audit found thousands of California-issued licences for immigrants remained valid long after work permits expired, prompting the state to revoke 17,000 licences.
The blocked DOT rule would have limited commercial licences to immigrants holding three specific visa categories, required annual renewal, and mandated immigration-status checks through a federal database. Around 10,000 of the 200,000 immigrant CDL holders would have been affected — but with the rule unenforceable, their existing licences will remain valid until expiry.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), representing more than 150,000 truckers, welcomed the administration’s push for tighter standards. President Todd Spencer told Fox News that pausing visas for commercial drivers would help ensure “only qualified individuals get licensed”, arguing the industry suffers from overcapacity, not shortages.
Spencer added misuse of visa programs and the rise of non-domiciled CDL holders had contributed to unsafe conditions, and said his organisation is working with the administration and Congress on stronger licensing and training requirements.
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