California just dropped a bombshell that’s shaking up the trucking world. The state has decided to pull the plug on 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses issued to immigrants, citing expiration dates that outlast their legal status in the U.S.
Announced on Wednesday, this decision comes after intense scrutiny from the Trump administration and follows a string of tragic crashes involving illegal immigrant truck drivers, according to The Associated Press.
Let’s rewind to earlier this year, when fatal truck accidents in Texas and Alabama started ringing alarm bells about licensing standards for noncitizens.
By August 2025, a devastating crash in Florida—caused by an unauthorized driver making an illegal U-turn—claimed three lives and poured fuel on the fire. These incidents pushed the issue of improper licensing into the national spotlight.
Fast forward to last month, October 2025, when another fiery wreck in California killed three more people, again involving a driver in the country without legal status.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wasn’t about to let this slide, having already flagged California and five other states for improperly issuing commercial licenses to noncitizens earlier this fall.
Duffy didn’t just stop at criticism—he rolled out new restrictions in September 2025, slashing eligibility for commercial licenses to just three visa types for temporary workers and investors.
Under these rules, licenses are capped at one year or the visa’s expiration, and states must verify immigration status through a federal database. It’s a tight leash, and only 10,000 of the 200,000 noncitizen drivers nationwide would even qualify.
California, the first state to face Duffy’s audit, got hit hard with a $40 million cut in federal funding for failing to enforce English language requirements for truckers. Duffy also threatened to withhold another $160 million if the state doesn’t invalidate every questionable license and fix its processes. Talk about turning the screws—Duffy means business.
Speaking on Nov. 12, 2025, Duffy laid down the law, saying, “After weeks of claiming they did nothing wrong, Gavin Newsom and California have been caught red-handed.”
He didn’t mince words, adding that this revocation of 17,000 licenses is just the beginning and promising to ensure no unauthorized driver remains behind the wheel of big rigs or school buses. While his tone is sharp, it’s hard to argue with the urgency when lives are on the line.
But let’s not pretend California’s hands are entirely clean here—though they’re quick to push back. Brandon Richards, spokesperson for Governor Gavin Newsom, fired off a rebuttal, stating, “Once again, the Sean ‘Road Rules’ Duffy fails to share the truth — spreading easily disproven falsehoods in a sad and desperate attempt to please his dear leader.”
Cute nickname, but snark doesn’t erase the fact that 17,000 licenses violated state law by extending past legal status expiration, as clarified by Newsom’s office.
Newsom’s team also claims they followed federal guidance from the Department of Homeland Security when issuing these licenses, and all affected drivers had valid work authorizations at the time. Fair point, but guidelines don’t trump state law, which requires licenses to align with legal status reported to the DMV. This mismatch is exactly why these revocations are happening now.
Drivers with the affected licenses have been notified that they’ve got 60 days before their credentials expire—a tough pill to swallow for those who’ve built livelihoods on the road.
It’s worth noting the new federal rules aren’t retroactive, so 190,000 other noncitizen drivers nationwide can keep their licenses until renewal. Still, for these 17,000 in California, the clock is ticking.
Duffy’s September review of 145 California licenses revealed a startling statistic: one-quarter shouldn’t have been issued at all. Even worse, four licenses stayed valid for years after the drivers’ work permits expired. That’s not just a paperwork glitch—that’s a gaping hole in oversight begging for disaster.
California’s push to revoke these licenses is clearly an attempt to get back in line with federal demands, especially with more funding on the chopping block.
While other states face delayed reviews due to a government shutdown, California’s audit completion made it the first in the crosshairs. It’s a wake-up call for every state to tighten up or risk similar consequences.
The Transportation Department is now urging all states to overhaul their licensing standards, a move that’s long overdue when you consider the carnage on our roads. Critics of progressive policies might argue this mess stems from prioritizing inclusivity over safety, but let’s be clear: the goal here isn’t to punish hardworking folks—it’s to prevent preventable tragedies.
