Us Transportation Secretary Takes Bold Action To Safeguard Road Travel With Stricter Cdl Rules, Update You Need To Know Now

Published on September 27, 2025

In a decisive move to heighten roadworthy information and curb nan expanding risks posed by non-domiciled drivers, US Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy has announced urgent action to enforce stricter regulations connected commercialized driver’s licenses (CDLs) for overseas nationals. This rule, implemented immediately, follows a broad nationwide audit by nan Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) that uncovered disturbing patterns of non-compliance successful respective states, including California.

The caller argumentation comes successful consequence to a bid of fatal crashes involving non-domiciled drivers, pinch FMCSA’s audit revealing that galore of these drivers were issued CDLs illegally aliases successful usurpation of existing regulations. The existent regulatory framework, while intended to guarantee that only qualified drivers run dense vehicles, has proven inadequate successful preventing these vulnerable lapses. The actions taken by Secretary Duffy purpose to rectify these gaps, ensuring that US roads stay safe for each travelers.

Non-Domiciled Driver Restrictions Tightened

Under nan caller rule, non-citizens will look a importantly much rigorous process to get a non-domiciled CDL. Effective immediately, overseas nationals must meet much stringent requirements, including possessing an employment-based visa and undergoing a mandatory national migration position cheque utilizing nan Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program. This further verification measurement is intended to guarantee that only eligible, ineligible drivers are authorized to run commercialized vehicles successful nan US.

Secretary Duffy expressed his interest complete nan audit findings, highlighting really licenses had been issued to vulnerable overseas drivers, immoderate of whom were ineligible aliases had expired ineligible position successful nan US. He pointed retired that immoderate CDLs had moreover been issued for years aft a driver’s ineligible beingness had expired, leaving them unqualified to run ample vehicles for illustration trucks aliases buses.

FMCSA’s Nationwide Audit Uncovers Serious Gaps

The nationwide audit, conducted by nan FMCSA, uncovered alarming trends crossed aggregate states, pinch California being identified arsenic nan worst offender. The audit revealed that complete 25% of non-domiciled CDLs issued successful California were done truthful improperly. In galore cases, drivers were allowed to run monolithic vehicles for illustration buses and trucks, moreover aft their ineligible beingness successful nan state had expired. In 1 peculiarly shocking case, a CDL was granted to a overseas driver from Brazil pinch endorsements to run rider and schoolhouse buses, moreover though his ineligible position had expired months before.

The audit besides revealed that respective different states, including Colorado, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas and Washington, were recovered to person licensing patterns that did not align pinch national regulations. These findings item nan request for contiguous action to rectify nan business and reconstruct assurance successful nan US’s commercialized driver licensing system.

California Faces Immediate Enforcement Action

As portion of nan emergency actions, Secretary Duffy announced that California must return contiguous steps to reside nan systemic issues identified successful nan audit. The authorities has been ordered to region nan issuance of non-domiciled CDLs and to place and revoke immoderate licenses that neglect to comply pinch FMCSA regulations. Additionally, California will request to reissue compliant non-domiciled CDLs that meet nan caller national requirements.

Secretary Duffy expressed his vexation pinch California’s anemic oversight and deficiency of capable training for commercialized drivers, calling it a “reckless disregard” for nan information of American roadworthy users. He warned that if California fails to comply wrong 30 days, nan FMCSA will withhold national road funds, starting astatine $160 cardinal successful nan first twelvemonth and expanding successful consequent years.

A Step Forward for Road Travel Safety

This bold action by Secretary Duffy aligns pinch President Trump’s Executive Order issued earlier this year, which focused connected improving roadworthy information crossed nan country. The move is portion of a broader strategy to guarantee that road recreation successful nan US remains safe for each citizens and visitors. By tightening nan rules governing CDLs and ensuring that only qualified and lawful drivers are operating connected US roads, nan authorities is taking proactive steps to reside a pressing information concern.

The FMCSA’s audit is ongoing and further states will beryllium reviewed to guarantee compliance pinch nan caller regulations. Secretary Duffy has made it clear that he expects states to return contiguous action to rectify immoderate non-compliant licensing practices. In a statement, he urged each states to find and revoke immoderate improperly issued CDLs, stressing that nan information of nan American group is nan apical priority.

Moving Forward: Ensuring Safe Road Travel successful nan US

As nan FMCSA’s reappraisal continues and stricter regulations travel into play, nan US is poised to return important steps toward ensuring that roadworthy recreation remains safe. The caller rules will thief forestall unqualified and forbidden drivers from operating commercialized vehicles connected US highways, reducing nan consequence of accidents and fatalities.

For Secretary Sean P. Duffy, this determination represents a awesome measurement successful safeguarding America’s roadways. As nan proscription assemblage adapts to nan changes, nan nationalist tin expect safer roads and a stronger committedness from nan US authorities to uphold rigorous standards for commercialized driver licensing.

The swift enforcement of these regulations sends a clear message: roadworthy information is not negotiable. By holding states accountable and ensuring that only qualified individuals are down nan instrumentality of dense vehicles, nan US is taking decisive action to protect roadworthy travelers crossed nan nation.

As nan US continues to attraction connected roadworthy recreation safety, Secretary Duffy’s bold measures underscore nan government’s committedness to maintaining a unafraid situation for each travelers, ensuring that nan nation’s highways stay free from nan threat of unqualified drivers operating commercialized vehicles.