The state decided to revoke these licenses following pressure from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to prevent individuals who are in the country illegally from obtaining them. The Transportation Department has made this a priority since a truck driver, unauthorized to be in the U.S., made an illegal U-turn in Florida that resulted in a crash, claiming three lives in August.
Duffy has yet to comment on the delay. California officials are working to ensure that the federal Transportation Department approves the reforms implemented. Initially, the state aimed to restart issuing commercial driver’s licenses in mid-December, but the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration intervened.
“Commercial drivers are vital to our economy — our supply chains wouldn’t function, and our communities wouldn’t stay connected without them,” remarked DMV Director Steve Gordon.
The Sikh Coalition, a national organization advocating for the civil rights of Sikhs, along with the San Francisco-based Asian Law Caucus, filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of the Californian drivers. They claim that immigrant truck drivers are being unjustly targeted. The driver involved in the Florida accident and another in a deadly crash in California in October were both Sikhs.
Approximately 20% of all truck drivers are immigrants, yet those holding non-domiciled licenses make up only about 5% of all commercial driver’s licenses, which equates to around 200,000 drivers. Furthermore, the Transportation Department has suggested new restrictions that would greatly limit the noncitizens eligible for licenses, but a court has temporarily suspended these new rules.
Mumeeth Kaur, the legal director of the Sikh Coalition, stated that this delay “is a significant step toward alleviating the immediate threats these drivers face regarding their lives and livelihoods.”
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Duffy indicated he might withhold millions in federal funding from California, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota after audits highlighted serious issues with the existing regulations, including the validity of commercial licenses long after an immigrant truck driver’s work permit had expired.
Trucking trade associations have welcomed the initiative to remove unqualified drivers who should not hold licenses or cannot communicate in English from the roads. They have also commended the Transportation Department’s actions against dubious commercial driver’s license schools.
