A deadly crash that killed five people in Austin this past March wasn’t an isolated incident. It was part of a pattern that prompted federal officials to crack down on commercial truck licensing, particularly focusing on non-U.S. citizen drivers.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s sweeping new regulations come after investigators discovered multiple states, including Texas, were improperly issuing Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs) to potentially unqualified drivers—a practice that puts every motorist at risk.
“What our team has discovered should disturb and anger every American,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “Licenses to operate a massive, 80,000-pound truck are being issued to dangerous foreign drivers – often times illegally. This is a direct threat to the safety of every family on the road, and I won’t stand for it. Today’s actions will prevent unsafe foreign drivers from renewing their license and hold states accountable to immediately invalidate improperly issued licenses.”
The March incident on Austin’s I-35, where an 18-wheeler slammed into 16 vehicles, exemplifies the deadly consequences of inadequate oversight. It’s one of several deadly crashes that caught federal attention this year, leading to an audit of state licensing practices.
Critical safety gaps found
The federal audit revealed alarming practices across six states: California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, and Washington. Officials discovered states were:
- Issuing licenses to ineligible drivers
- Allowing CDLs to remain valid even after a driver’s legal U.S. residency expired
- Failing to properly verify driver documentation
Texas, which leads the nation in commercial truck drivers, was among the states cited for “systematic non-compliance” with federal safety standards.
New safety measures
To protect highway users, the DOT is implementing immediate changes:
- All non-citizen commercial drivers must renew their licenses in person annually
- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security must verify all non-citizen documentation
- Commercial licenses will automatically expire when a driver’s U.S. work permit ends
Impact on road safety
These changes affect approximately 200,000 non-domiciled drivers out of the nation’s more than 2 million commercial truck operators. While non-citizen drivers represent about 10% of all commercial drivers, federal officials say proper verification of their qualifications and legal status is crucial for maintaining highway safety.
The enhanced regulations represent the DOT’s most aggressive step yet to close dangerous loopholes in commercial driver licensing. For everyday motorists sharing highways with commercial trucks, these new safeguards aim to ensure that every commercial driver on the road meets strict federal safety and legal requirements.
Immediate implementation
The new verification requirements take effect immediately, targeting gaps in the current system that allowed potentially unsafe practices to persist. Officials emphasize that these measures are designed to prevent future tragedies and ensure all commercial drivers—regardless of citizenship status—meet the same rigorous safety standards.