Overview

• FMCSA issued an emergency rule that limits eligibility to holders of certain employment visas and requires federal SAVE checks, ordering states to pause non-domiciled CDL issuance until they meet the new standards.
• An audit found systemic failures in multiple states—California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, and Washington—with more than 25% of reviewed non-domiciled licenses in California improperly issued.
• California was warned it will lose roughly $160 million in federal highway funds in the first year if it fails to comply within 30 days, with larger penalties and potential CDL program decertification possible.
• DOT officials said about 190,000 current non-citizen CDLs would not meet the new criteria, but the rule is not retroactive and existing licenses are not automatically revoked.
• DHS spotlighted a 2024 San Bernardino crash that left 5-year-old Dalilah Coleman with life-altering injuries; the driver, Partap Singh, remains in ICE custody as California’s governor’s office argues a federal work permit made him license-eligible.