WASHINGTON — U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is announcing that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is withholding approximately $160 million from California for failing to cancel over 17,000 illegally issued CDLs by the agreed-upon deadline of Jan. 5.
FMCSA issued a Final Determination after California refused to cancel the licenses on time, allowing foreign drivers with invalid licenses to continue operating on American roads.
“It’s reckoning day for Gavin Newsom and California,” Duffy said. “Our demands were simple; follow the rules, revoke the unlawfully-issued licenses to dangerous foreign drivers and fix the system so this never happens again. Gavin Newsom has failed to do so – putting the needs of illegal immigrants over the safety of the American people. While Gavin may not care about protecting you and your family on our roads, the Trump Administration does. We’re pulling this funding to ensure federal tax dollars don’t fund this charade.”
California’s Non-Domiciled CDL Program
According to USDOT, as part of Duffy’s nationwide non-domiciled CDL audit, FMCSA uncovered a systemic collapse of California’s non-domiciled CDL program, which allowed the state to illegally issue licenses with expiration dates extending years beyond a driver’s lawful presence and to grant CDLs to individuals who were ineligible to hold them. In total, more than 20,000 active non-domiciled CDLs were issued by California in violation of federal safety regulations.
“Federal regulations are clear. States must correct safety deficiencies on a schedule mutually agreed upon by the agency, and California failed to meet its commitment to rescind these unlawfully-issued licenses by Jan. 5,” said Derek D. Barrs, FMCSA administrator. “We will not accept a corrective plan that knowingly leaves thousands of drivers holding noncompliant licenses behind the wheel of 80,000-pound trucks in open defiance of federal safety regulations.”
Background
According to USDOT, in September, a nationwide audit of trucking licenses exposed more than 25% of non-domiciled CDLs issued by California were issued unlawfully – including with licenses extending as many as four years beyond the expiration date of their lawful presence documentation. In one shocking case, California gave a driver from Brazil a CDL with endorsements to drive a passenger bus and a school bus that was valid for months after his legal presence expired.
In November, California agreed to revoke every illegally issued license within 60 days and work with FMCSA so the agency could verify that the failures that allowed these licenses to be issued are corrected.
“California has failed to do so,” USDOT said. “In response, FMCSA will withhold nearly $160 million of funds from California via the National Highway Performance Program and Surface Transportation Block Grant.”
Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA)
“The days of exploiting cheap labor on the basis of false ‘driver shortage’ claims are over,” said Todd Spencer, OOIDA president. “OOIDA and truckers across America support the Trump Administration’s actions to crack down on the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs. For too long, loopholes in this program have allowed unqualified drivers onto our highways, putting professional truckers and the motoring public at risk. Secretary Duffy and FMCSA Administrator Barrs are embracing policies that prioritize the needs of professional truckers and roadway safety.”
American Trucking Association (ATA)
“Ensuring the safety of our nation’s roadways depends on consistent application and enforcement of commercial driver licensing standards nationwide,” said Chris Spear, ATA president, CEO. “USDOT has raised ongoing concerns over the past several months that certain California-issued licenses did not fully comply with federal CDL requirements, posing potential risks to public safety. A CDL assures the motoring public that a driver has met rigorous safety standards — standards that must be enforced uniformly in all 50 states. Because truck drivers operate across state lines, when even one state cuts corners, the consequences are felt nationwide. We call on California authorities to work with the U.S. Department of Transportation to expedite this process to ensure only qualified drivers with properly-issued CDLs are permitted to operate.”
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
