Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has a new target in his efforts to get states to fix their systems for issuing non-domiciled commercial driver's licenses or pay a price.
Duffy today announced the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration found Pennsylvania violated federal safety regulations by issuing non-domiciled CDLs illegally, including to ineligible foreigners without verifying their legal status. He said he will withhold nearly $75 million in federal funding if the state does not immediately revoke these illegally issued licenses and correct what he called "dangerous failures" the USDOT identified in its CDL program.
This is similar to Duffy's approach to California, and Gov. Gavin Newsom. It also comes on the heels of a recent headline-grabbing arrest of another foreign truck driver.
A statement from Duffy cited ICE’s recent arrest of suspected terrorist Akhror Bozorov, who came to the U.S. after authorities in his native Uzbekistan issued a warrant for his arrest in late 2022.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Bozorov crossed the southern border in February 2023, where he was apprehended, released and given work authorization before receiving a commercial truck driver’s license in Pennsylvania in July.
“Under President Trump, this department is taking every measure to ensure dangerous foreign drivers aren’t illegally operating 40-ton vehicles on American roads,” said Duffy in his statement. “Joe Biden allowed tens of millions of illegals to pour into our country through open borders, including a suspected terrorist who Pennsylvania then allowed to get behind the wheel of a semi-truck. I will continue to fight to get these dangerous drivers off our roads to protect American families and support our national security.”
According to the statement from Duffy, the FMCSA’s review of Pennsylvania’s non-domiciled CDL issuance practices found numerous failures by Pennsylvania Department of Transportation including:
- Issuing non-domiciled CDLs with an expiration date that extended well beyond the driver’s authorized stay in the United States
- Failing to require any proof of lawful presence before issuing a CDL
Duffy said the USDOT is now demanding Pennsylvania take the following corrective measures to avoid funding being withheld:
- Immediately pause the issuance of all new, renewed, transferred, or upgraded non-domiciled CDLs or commercial learner’s permits
- Conduct a comprehensive internal audit to identify every non-domiciled license that was issued in violation of federal regulations and the policies, practices, and procedures that allowed for the issuance of non-compliant licenses
- Void or rescind all unexpired, noncompliant licenses and remove unqualified drivers from the road
This is not Duffy's first complaint with Pennsylvania. Late last month he sent a letter to Gov. Josh Shapiro, which accused the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority with "gross mismanagement." Duffy said the public transit system "faces a number of growing safety and financial issues that are dangerous for the traveling public."
Like California's Newsom, Shapiro is a Democrat who has been critical of Duffy's boss, President Donald Trump.
