Overview
- California’s DMV pushed cancellation of roughly 17,000 non‑domiciled commercial driver’s licenses to March 6 and said affected drivers remain fully licensed during the 60‑day window.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy rejected the state’s move, insisting the Jan. 5 deadline still stands and threatening to withhold nearly $160 million in federal funds after previously pausing $40 million over English‑proficiency enforcement.
- An FMCSA audit found licenses were set to expire beyond the holders’ federal work authorization, and the agency has blocked California from issuing new or corrected CDLs until compliance is verified.
- A class‑action suit by the Sikh Coalition, Asian Law Caucus, Weil Gotshal, and the Jakara Movement argues DMV recordkeeping and renewal errors risk wrongful job losses for lawfully eligible drivers.
- Immigrants make up about 20% of U.S. truckers, while non‑domiciled CDLs account for roughly 5% of licenses nationwide, and industry groups have endorsed federal efforts to remove unqualified drivers and tighten CDL oversight.