Saying foreign drivers are a threat to highway safety, the federal government has put the brakes on issuing work visas to them.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, "Effective immediately we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers.
"The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers."
Rubio's comments come as the Trump administration continues to get tough on states issuing commercial drivers licenses to people who do not live in that state, and truckers who do not speak English.
In late April, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that requires CDL holders to be proficient in English, and making it an out-of-service violation if they aren't. The order also directed Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to review state issuance of non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses to identify any irregularities.
The action by the State Department on work visas comes in the wake of a high-profile accident last week. Three people died when their minivan slammed into the trailer of a tractor-trailer, the driver of which was making an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike. That driver, Harjinder Singh is a native of India who entered the U.S. from Mexico in 2018 seeking asylum. He was charged with three counts of vehicular homicide.
ICE arrested Harneet Singh, brother of the driver and a passenger in the truck at the time of the crash. A statement from the Department of Homeland Security said he will remain in custody pending removal proceedings.
Duffy ordered a federal investigation into the accident, and an audit of non-domiciled CDL practices.
Major trucking organizations have weighed in on Rubio's announcement.
Following the Trump Administration's announcement that the issuance of worker visas for truck drivers is being paused, American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear issued a statement that said:
“ATA supports pausing work visas for commercial drivers and believes the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs needs serious scrutiny, including the enforcement of entry-level driver training standards. At a minimum, we need better accounting of how many non-domiciled CDLs are being issued, which is why we applaud Transportation Secretary Duffy for launching a nationwide audit in June upon our request. We also believe a surge in enforcement of key regulations -- including motor carrier compliance -- is necessary to prevent bad actors from operating on our nation's highways, and we'll continue to partner with federal and state authorities to identify where those gaps in enforcement exist.”
Here's what Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association President Todd Spencer said in a statement issued today:
"OOIDA applauds the administration for seeing through the myth of a truck driver shortage and continuing efforts to restore commonsense safety standards on our nation’s highways. Pausing visas for commercial truck drivers will help ensure only qualified individuals get licensed. Additionally, there is unlikely to be any negative effect on the supply chain, as the trucking industry continues to face overcapacity. The misuse of visa programs along with the rise of non-domiciled CDL holders in recent years has fueled a flood of drivers into our country who struggle to operate safely in full compliance with regulations. Earlier this week, OOIDA called on U.S. DOT and states to immediately suspend non-domiciled CDL programs. We are working with the administration and Congress on implementing more comprehensive licensing and training standards that will prevent unsafe drivers from ever getting behind the wheel."
OOIDA also said it has asked the Department of Transportation and governors in 43 states to suspend issuing non-domiciled CDLs due to safety concerns.
