DOT to Freeze Funds to States That Allow Illegal Immigrant Truck Drivers: Duffy

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy held a press conference on Oct. 30 explaining steps the department will take to prevent foreign nationals from driving commercial vehicles on U.S. highways. Duffy said the Department of Transportation (DOT) would seek to withhold federal funds from states that issue “non-domiciled” commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) to foreign nationals who are unlawfully present in the country. He referred to a recent action to suspend $40 million in payments to California, which he claimed was noncompliant with the department’s rules against issuing CDLs to illegal immigrants. Duffy said states needed to ensure that any driver receiving a CDL was proficient in English, which he alleged was not the case. He also said that some driving schools that train such drivers to obtain CDLs were failing to do so properly, and that many trucking companies were also hiring them. For the latter, Duffy said there would be “serious consequences,” though he did not specify them....