- DOT threatened to pull $150 million in highway funds from California.
- Thousands of California truckers were told licenses would end January 6.
- Trump admin tightened rules on immigrants working as truck drivers.
Immigrant truck drivers across the United States have spent much of the past year under heightened scrutiny from the Trump administration, following a series of high-profile fatal crashes.
Federal pressure pushed California to revoke the commercial licenses of more than 17,000 drivers. But now, just in time for the holiday season, the state is reversing course.
Read: First Truckers Taken Off The Road For Failing To Speak English Under Trump’s Tougher Policy
California’s Department of Motor Vehicles started informing thousands of immigrant truck drivers last month that their licenses would be revoked by January 6 because the expiration of their federal work permits was due before the expiration date of their state licenses.
DMV Reversals Begin Amid Policy Tension
The DMV made the move after the US Department of Transportation threatened to pull more than $150 million in highway funding from California. The US administration’s crackdown on immigrant drivers in April reinforced the requirement for all drivers of commercial vehicles to speak English.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration then announced an emergency rule in September to exclude asylum seekers, refugees, and other immigrants from holding their licenses. This could lead to as many as 200,000 people with valid US work permits losing their licenses and jobs.
Fortunately for applicable drivers in California, the local DMV started reissuing licenses it had started to cancel. There’s no word on how the federal government will respond to the news, but we can’t imagine it’ll be particularly thrilled.
California has acknowledged that faults in its system violated a state law requiring a commercial license to expire on or before the date an individual’s work permit expires.
Caught in the Bureaucracy
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, many drivers have had their work permits renewed or extended, but this update has not been reflected yet in the DMV’s files and on their commercial license. The agency is planning a fix that will ensure work authorization documents and driver’s licenses are in sync.
The reprieve is great news for many truckers living and working in the US legally. Among these drivers is Amarjit Singh, a 41-year-old from India who holds a work permit valid through 2029 and paid $160,000 to purchase a truck for his work.
“I was so happy, this is a very big relief,” he told KQED News. “It’s great news. It’s going to save my life, and it’s going to save my business.”
Sources: KQED, San Francisco Chronicle | Images Kenworth, Mack, Volvo
