Feds: Illegal commercial drivers licenses issued in California

By Madeline Shannon
The Center Square

A federal agency reported the California Department of Motor Vehicles illegally issued thousands of commercial drivers’ licenses to illegal immigrants.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 17,000 drivers who were illegally issued commercial driver’s licenses in California were sent notices alerting them that their driver’s licenses will expire in 60 days. Those drivers no longer meet federal requirements, the department said in a news release.

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy blamed California Gov. Gavin Newsom and said the recipients of the illegal driver’s licenses were illegal immigrants.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Duffy said. “My team will continue to force California to prove they have removed every illegal immigrant from behind the wheel of semi-trucks and school buses.”

However, transportation officials in California refuted the federal agency’s claims, saying that the revoked licenses were inconsistent with state law, and that immigrants who were issued commercial drivers licenses were in the country legally.

“Once again, Sean ‘Road Rules’ Duffy fails to share the truth, spreading easily disproven falsehoods in a sad and desperate attempt to please his dear leader,” Brandon Richards, deputy director for Rapid Response for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office, wrote to The Center Square in an email.

One of the agencies the U.S. Department of Transportation oversees, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, carried out the audit of the California DMV that resulted in the findings that so many commercial driver’s licenses were issued illegally, according to the department.

The announcement of the driver’s license revocation followed a series of actions taken by the U.S. Department of Transportation against California. In October, the department issued a press release announcing that more than $40 million in federal grants would be withheld from California because the state issued driver’s licenses to drivers who could not speak or read English.

Duffy sent notices to states in August alerting them that state DMVs had to enforce English language competency requirements in issuing driver’s licenses, according to an August 2025 press release.

“California is the only state in the nation that refuses to ensure big rig drivers can read our road signs and communicate with law enforcement,” Duffy said in an Oct. 15 press release. “This is a fundamental safety issue that impacts you and your family on America’s road.”

The federal government’s actions this year followed President Donald Trump’s executive order in April 2025 mandating that commercial truck drivers be proficient in English.

One professional association in the transportation industry supports the Trump administration’s push to make commercial drivers license holders meet English language proficiency standards, among other requirements. In October, the American Trucking Association sent a letter to Congress, urging leaders of both the House and Senate to institute measures to make roads safer for both long-haul truck drivers and drivers of passenger vehicles.

These measures included codifying Trump’s executive order requiring English language proficiency for truck drivers, requiring commercial drivers license applicants to hold a standard drivers license for at least one year before acquiring a commercial license, and strengthening enforcement and penalties for those who don’t follow current regulations.

“ATA and its members recognize the critical importance of a trained, qualified driver workforce and have identified several specific steps towards strengthening the processes and checks that ensure a commercial driver is fit to operate on our nation’s roadways,” said Chris Spear, the president and CEO of American Trucking Association, in an Oct. 8 press release. “ATA respectfully urges [Congress’] consideration of these actions to further close critical gaps in our driver qualification system, strengthen enforcement of existing standards, and prevent unsafe operators from entering or remaining in the trucking industry.”

Officials with the U.S. Department of Transportation were not immediately available on Monday to answer questions. Calls would not go through to the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration.

Representatives of long-haul commercial truck driving companies and transportation associations were unavailable for comment before press time on Monday.

Several school districts throughout the state also were not available to speak on deadline about how a potential revocation of commercial drivers licenses would affect school bus drivers. This included the San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Fresno and Elk Grove unified school districts.