Overview
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Pennsylvania it could lose nearly $75 million unless the state halts issuing or renewing non‑domiciled CDLs and commercial learner’s permits, conducts an internal audit, and voids licenses found out of compliance.
- An FMCSA review cited cases in which Pennsylvania issued CDLs with expiration dates beyond recipients’ authorized stay and instances lacking proof of lawful presence, with a sample showing two such over‑expiration cases out of 150 records.
- PennDOT says it already paused non‑domiciled CDL issuance after the late‑September federal rule, cooperated with audits, and verifies applicants through DHS’s SAVE system, asserting the federal database showed recent applicants as authorized.
- ICE recently arrested Akhror Bozorov, an Uzbek national wanted in his home country for terrorism, who was driving a truck with a Pennsylvania‑issued CDL, intensifying scrutiny of state licensing controls and federal status checks.
- A D.C. appeals court has temporarily stayed DOT’s September emergency restrictions on noncitizen CDLs, questioning the rule’s procedure and safety rationale, while DOT continues audits and has already withheld funds from California after citing roughly 17,000 improper licenses.