Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has determined that Pennsylvania violated federal safety regulations by illegally issuing non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs), including to individuals who were not legally eligible to receive them.
FMCSA found that PennDOT failed to verify lawful presence and, in some cases, issued licenses that extended beyond the individual’s authorized stay in the United States. As a result, the Transportation Department is threatening to withhold nearly $75 million in federal funding unless Pennsylvania revokes all improperly issued CDLs and corrects the systemic failures that allowed the violations.
The findings emerged amid a nationwide audit of non-domiciled CDLs initiated in June, shortly after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested a suspected terrorist who had illegally entered the United States and received a Pennsylvania CDL earlier in the summer. Secretary Duffy cited this case as evidence of the national-security implications of lax CDL standards and criticized prior immigration policies for enabling such risks. He stated that the Department, under President Donald Trump, is committed to preventing unqualified foreign drivers from operating heavy commercial vehicles on American roads.
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USDOT has ordered Pennsylvania to take several immediate steps: pause all issuance or renewal of non-domiciled CDLs and commercial learner’s permits (CLPs); conduct a thorough audit to identify all noncompliant licenses and the procedural failures behind them; and revoke any unexpired, improperly issued licenses to ensure unqualified drivers are removed from service.
This enforcement action follows a broader series of transportation safety initiatives under the Trump administration. Earlier in the year, President Trump issued an executive order directing the Department of Transportation to strengthen roadway safety, with a particular emphasis on enforcing long-standing English-language proficiency requirements for commercial drivers. The order argues that English proficiency is essential for reading traffic signs, communicating with law enforcement and inspection officials, and performing basic safety and reporting functions. It instructs the FMCSA to rescind its 2016 guidance and implement updated inspection procedures, ensuring that non-English-proficient drivers are placed out of service.
The executive order also directs FMCSA to review irregularities in states’ issuance of non-domiciled CDLs and improve verification of domestic and international driving credentials.
In recent months, Secretary Duffy has introduced several related actions, including emergency restrictions on eligibility for non-domiciled CDLs, a nationwide audit exposing widespread non-compliance, a pro-trucker initiative to reduce regulatory burdens, and new guidelines mandating out-of-service orders for drivers who fail English-language requirements. These steps align with President Trump’s March order designating English as the official language of the United States.
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