A battle over America's roads is unfolding in the Supreme Court, where demands for accountability clash with efforts to deregulate the industry, as the national spotlight remains on accidents caused by non-domiciled, non-English-speaking truck drivers.
The court's ruling could have major implications for the more than 150,000 Americans injured and the over 5,000 killed in large truck accidents each year, by potentially stripping or safeguarding the legal recourse available to victims and their families.
'Remove any legal accountability for brokers, and you remove the incentive for them to care.'
SCOTUS heard oral arguments on March 4 in the case of Shawn Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, which involves a December 2017 collision between two semi-trucks: one operated by the plaintiff, Shawn Montgomery, and the other by an individual employed by Caribe Transport II, a small motor carrier hired by broker C.H. Robinson Worldwide.
The complaint explains that Montgomery was parked on the shoulder of Interstate Highway 70 in Cumberland County, Illinois, when another truck rear-ended his vehicle at high speed, resulting in severe and permanent injuries, including the amputation of Montgomery's leg.
Montgomery's lawsuit was filed against the driver, the carrier, and C.H. Robinson. He accused C.H. Robinson of "negligent hiring," citing Illinois common law. His case reached the Supreme Court after a lower court moved to dismiss it, arguing that the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act bars state-level negligence suits against brokers — third-party providers that connect shippers with carriers without owning trucks or hauling freight themselves — for their carrier selections.
The ongoing case has caught the attention of those in the trucking industry who are concerned that a SCOTUS ruling in favor of C.H. Robinson would set a precedent that prevents crash victims and their families from seeking legal recourse against brokers.
While President Donald Trump's administration has been receptive to concerns about reforming the nation's broken trucking industry, the U.S. position in the Montgomery v. Caribe case indicates a potential shift.
Trump's Department of Justice submitted an amicus brief supporting C.H. Robinson, arguing that the FAAAA preempts any state law related to the "price, route, or service" of a broker. This, the DOJ claimed, includes how brokers select carriers. Although the rule carves out a safety exception allowing states to enforce such laws, the U.S. government contended that the exception does not apply to this case.
The U.S. argues that brokers are already required to select an authorized motor carrier, which means that the carrier has met the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's "rigorous safety standards." Allowing such lawsuits against freight brokers would "require brokers to second-guess federal registration decisions and independently evaluate the safety history of the carriers they select."
"A judgment for petitioner on that claim would thus necessarily impugn Caribe's overall operations, thereby undermining FMCSA's determination that Caribe satisfies federal registration requirements, including rigorous safety requirements," the U.S. amicus brief reads.
American Truckers United, an advocacy group, warned that if SCOTUS agreed with the U.S. government's argument and ruled in favor of the respondent, it could allow freight brokers to have "blanket immunity" when selecting unsafe and high-risk carriers, leading to a "race to the bottom."
ATU filed its own amicus brief, urging SCOTUS to side with Montgomery.
"If brokers are immunized from tort liability, they will have an unrestrained incentive to hire the cheapest motor carriers available for every load, regardless of poor safety records, regulatory non-compliance, defective equipment, and other red flags. Low-cost, low-quality carriers will completely displace safe carriers in the market," ATU wrote.
ATU noted that many carriers maintain only the minimum required liability insurance, which covers just a small portion of the cost for crash victims and their families. The group also pointed out the FMCSA's lack of resources to keep up with the "chameleon carrier" crisis, explaining that when carriers lose their operating authority due to noncompliance, they "dissolve, reincarnate themselves under new identities, and reenter the market."
A separate amicus brief filed by the Institute for Safer Trucking on behalf of Montgomery wrote, "The reality of the compliance-review scheme is bleak. FMCSA is apparently unable to conduct compliance reviews of carriers within a reasonable time. More than ninety-four percent of all active interstate freight carriers remain 'unrated' as of 2023."
The FMCSA has previously admitted its limitations. In a 2023 Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the FMCSA stated that it "has resources to issue safety ratings to only a small percentage of motor carriers each year," adding that the agency's rating "does not necessarily reflect the current safety posture of a motor carrier."
FMCSA officials said that "they do not have the resources to vet all for-hire carriers that apply for new operating authority," according to a 2012 Government Accountability Office report.
The Truck Safety Coalition, a network of victim and survivor volunteers, also filed an amicus brief supporting Montgomery that referred to freight brokers as “gatekeepers in determining who hauls freight on the roadways and who doesn’t.” The TSC stated that the industry has exploded in recent decades, from just 70 brokers in 1975 to over 28,000 today.
Rena Leizerman, from the Law Firm for Truck Safety and co-counsel for Montgomery, told Blaze News in a statement, “Broker negligence lawsuits aren't filed in every crash. They get filed when there's evidence that a broker hired someone with a known, serious safety history and chose to look the other way.”
“C.H. Robinson argued to the court that it should be completely off the hook for negligence. No exceptions. Not even if it knowingly hires a carrier with no insurance. Not even if the carrier isn't legally registered to operate. Not even if it already knows the carrier has a dangerous record. Zero accountability, no matter what,” Leizerman’s statement continued.
“Brokers make money on the gap between what shippers pay them and what they pay the carrier. The wider the gap, the more profit. So they push carrier rates down, and carriers survive by cutting costs — driver screening, safety training, equipment upkeep, insurance — until the day everything goes wrong.
“Remove any legal accountability for brokers, and you remove the incentive for them to care. Safe carriers, the ones who invest in doing things right, end up getting underbid by carriers who skip basic safety. It's a race to the bottom, and it's the rest of us sharing the road who pay the price,” she added.
Dorothy Capers, chief legal officer at C.H. Robinson, also provided a statement to Blaze News.
"A single, uniform federal framework is essential to keeping interstate commerce safe, efficient, and consistent with Congress' design," Capers said. "Allowing a patchwork of state tort laws to regulate broker services would undermine that system, increase uncertainty, and disrupt the flow of goods Americans rely on every day."
The stakes of the pending Montgomery case are already playing out in the nation’s courtrooms.
On May 24, 2024, a semi-truck driver allegedly blew through a stop sign on U.S. 84 in Texas, killing 28-year-old Tiana Moore and her mother, Tanya Maria King. Moore’s family sued the driver, the carrier, and the freight broker that had hired the carrier.
When the case was about to go to trial, the broker, citing the ongoing Montgomery case before the Supreme Court, requested and received a stay, leaving the family in limbo.
Moore's father, David Moore, spoke to Blaze News about the tragic accident. He expressed his goal of raising awareness to inspire policy changes and help the American public understand how regulations affecting the trucking industry impact lives nationwide.
"The impact that it's really had on our lives, and even this ongoing process, it's been, obviously, the most difficult thing that I've ever had to deal with — and not just me, but my family," David Moore said.
Ultimately, the Moore case was closed a short time later when the parties reached a confidential settlement. While in this instance the family was able to reach an agreement outside the courtroom, the Supreme Court’s decision in the Montgomery case will determine whether crash victims and their families retain or lose a major avenue for accountability in the future.
SCOTUS is expected to give a decision in the Montgomery case by June.
The Department of Transportation deferred comment to the Department of Justice, which stated it had no further remarks beyond its amicus brief.
Legal counsel for Caribe Transport II did not respond to requests for comment.
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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's visit to the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky, in late March drew overwhelmingly positive reactions from truckers and other industry professionals.
"Truckers are the BACKBONE of our great country," Duffy wrote in a post on social media. "I am so impressed by every one of them at the Mid-America Trucking Show! I promise to fight as hard as the truckers do to MAKE TRUCKING GREAT AGAIN."
'We have a long way to go and a lot of work ahead, but for the first time in a long time, it feels like the right people are finally listening.'
A press release from MATS following the completion of its event, which over 53,000 people attended, called Duffy's participation "a major highlight," noting that the secretary "met with industry leaders, exhibitors, and professional drivers to discuss the importance of trucking to the nation's economy, supply chain, and infrastructure."
"The visit underscored the federal government's recognition of trucking as a critical pillar of American commerce and mobility," MATS wrote.
Duffy delivered a speech at the event, promising to advocate for American truckers.
"You make up what is great about America. The work you do, makes our country great," he told attendees.
RELATED: End of the road: 200,000 foreign truckers could lose their CDLs as Trump’s rule takes effect
Industry professionals like Danielle Chaffin shared their video interviews with Duffy and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator Derek Barrs, who spoke to truckers on the show floor.
"So you guys do pay attention to us?" Chaffin asked Duffy and Barrs.
"100%," Duffy responded.
"Even when I think we're doing great things, I get a little hard time from those on X. But I do appreciate the feedback, and we see it's a very loud voice — a vocal industry. And I think that's fair because, if you've been forgotten, you felt like you're screaming into the storm. Well, you're not screaming into the storm anymore because we're actually listening, and you see the work that we're doing."
"We are watching because that's some of the ways that we can actually make some of the changes that we're making is because of X and people on social media," Barrs told Chaffin.
“This industry has spent years shouting into a void. Finally, years later, our voices and concerns are being heard,” Chaffin told Blaze News. “Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs stood in a room full of truckers and treated them as the experts they are. They spoke with genuine concern and care for the people who actually move this country. They made it very clear they are paying attention to the operators, the owners, and those of us who have been sounding the alarm on X.”
“We have a long way to go and a lot of work ahead, but for the first time in a long time, it feels like the right people are finally listening,” Chaffin continued. “Not only are they listening, but they are taking action. We are making progress to save the American trucking industry!”
Charles Gracey, who hosts SiriusXM's "Trucking Sense" and FreightWaves' "Brake Check," gave Duffy and Barrs high praise for their attendance at MATS.
"When an administration is truly paying attention to the people it represents, there will be signs," Gracey wrote. "One of those signs is showing up where those people actually are, and that is exactly what U.S. @USDOT @SecDuffy and @FMCSA @BarrsDerek did at the Mid-America @truckingshow in #Louisville."
"What makes it even more powerful is that they did not just show up for optics. They showed up, they engaged, and they took time to hear our thoughts about the industry we know and love, and the very same industry they say they are working to protect for us and for the future of trucking," Gracey added.
Duffy and Barrs were joined at MATS by Dalilah Coleman, a young girl who sustained critical and life-altering injuries as a result of a 2024 car wreck involving an illegal alien truck driver.
Dalilah's Law, a bill named after Coleman, was introduced in the Senate in February. If passed, it would prohibit states from issuing commercial driver's licenses to illegal aliens, allowing them to be issued only to U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and holders of specific work visas. Additionally, the bill mandates the revocation of existing CDLs held by individuals who do not meet these eligibility criteria.
"Proud to see Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy standing in the gap for Dalilah at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, KY," the American Truckers United wrote. "Stand with Secretary Duffy. Stand with Dalilah. Pass Dalilah's Law!"
Justin Martin, a trucking industry professional who goes by SuperTrucker on X, called on government leaders to attend MATS more frequently.
"DOT/FMCSA leadership should be at MATS every year to hear from drivers in the industry directly. Thanks for coming out this year," Martin wrote.
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Approximately 200,000 foreign truck drivers will no longer be able to renew their commercial driver’s licenses following the Department of Transportation’s final rule that took effect on Monday.
The DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced the final rule, “Restoring Integrity to the Issuance of Non-Domiciled Commercial Drivers Licenses,” in February to prevent “unqualified foreign drivers” from operating big rigs and buses on American roadways.
‘Under President Trump’s leadership, we are putting the safety of the driving public first.’
A press release from the FMCSA noted that in 2025, non-domiciled drivers caused 17 fatal crashes and 30 deaths.
The announcement followed a nationwide audit that found “systemic non-compliance” in the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs in several states.
The final rule’s key provisions include limiting non-domiciled CDLs to foreign nationals with H-2A, H-2B, and E-2 visas. It also terminated Employment Authorization Documents as acceptable proof of eligibility. Additionally, it required state licensing agencies to verify the eligibility of foreign nationals through the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements system.
RELATED: Foreigners want to drive a big rig? They'll need more than work authorization papers, Duffy says.
Therefore, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, asylum seekers, Temporary Protected Status holders, and those relying solely on work authorization documents are no longer eligible to obtain a CDL.
Foreign nationals who no longer meet these qualifications may continue to drive as long as their current license remains valid. However, they will not be able to renew their licenses once they expire.
The Washington Post estimated that the final rule, which took effect on Monday, will impact about 200,000 CDL holders.
“For far too long, America has allowed dangerous foreign drivers to abuse our truck licensing systems — wreaking havoc on our roadways. This safety loophole ends today,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated during February’s announcement of the final rule. “Moving forward, unqualified foreign drivers will be unable to get a license to operate an 80,000-pound big rig. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are putting the safety of the driving public first. From enforcing English language standards to holding fraudulent carriers accountable, we will continue to attack this crisis on our roads head on.”
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The Department of Transportation has moved to shut down another 550 commercial driver's license schools amid a new focus on crashes involving foreign nationals with U.S. non-domiciled CDLs.
'For too long, the trucking industry has operated like the Wild, Wild West, where anything goes and nobody asks any questions.'
The DOT announced on February 18 that it discovered the "sham CDL training schools" violated the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's safety standards. The agency issued notices of proposed removal from the FMCSA's national training provider registry.
The DOT found that some noncompliant schools used fictitious addresses and employed unqualified instructors who lacked the necessary licenses and permits for the vehicles they were teaching students to drive. In other cases, these schools provided training with vehicles that were not appropriate for the instruction being offered. Some training providers even admitted to investigators that they failed to meet their state's requirements.
FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs said, "If a school isn't using the right vehicles or if their instructors aren't qualified, they have no business training the next generation of truckers or school bus drivers."
One of the schools on the DOT's proposed removal list reportedly provided training to school bus drivers.
The DOT informed Blaze News that these schools have not yet been closed, as they are still within the 30-day period to either provide evidence of compliance with federal safety standards or indicate their intention to complete the corrective actions specified by the FMCSA. However, the agency stated that it has already closed 6,500 CDL training schools.
RELATED: 18-wheeler speeding the wrong direction on highway was driven by — you guessed it
The findings resulted from the FMCSA mobilizing over 300 investigators and conducting more than 1,400 on-site sting operations over five days. While 448 schools were issued a notice of proposed removal, 109 training providers voluntarily removed themselves from the FMCSA's Training Provider Registry.
An additional 97 training schools remain under investigation for similar alleged violations.
"For too long, the trucking industry has operated like the Wild, Wild West, where anything goes and nobody asks any questions," DOT Secretary Sean Duffy stated. "The buck stops with me. Under President Trump, my team is cracking down on every link in the trucking chain that has allowed this lawlessness to impact the safety of America's roads. American families should have confidence that our school bus and truck drivers are following every letter of the law and that starts with receiving proper training before getting behind the wheel."
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Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy took action on Wednesday to prevent unqualified foreign drivers from operating semi-trucks. This decision comes in response to several fatal crashes involving non-domiciled commercial driver's license holders, a situation that has gained national attention over the past year.
Duffy issued a final rule, "Restoring Integrity to the Issuance of Non-Domiciled Commercial Drivers Licenses," which aims to close safety gaps in the issuance of CDLs to foreign drivers.
'For far too long, America has allowed dangerous foreign drivers to abuse our truck licensing systems — wreaking havoc on our roadways. This safety loophole ends today.'
Perhaps the most significant provision of the DOT's final rule eliminates the reliance on Employment Authorization Documents to demonstrate eligibility for non-domiciled CDLs, which the agency notes had led to "widespread regulatory non-compliance." Instead, applicants will be required to present a foreign passport or Form I-94 documentation.
"While U.S. drivers are subject to strict checks through national databases for past violations — such as DUIs, reckless driving, or crash involvement — states lack the ability to access the driving records of foreigners and illegal immigrants. This loophole allowed individuals with dangerous driving histories to obtain a trucking license simply by presenting an Employment Authorization Document (EAD), which does not screen for transportation safety," a DOT press release states.
Another key condition of the final rule is a restriction on eligibility that requires foreign nationals to hold H-2A, H-2B, or E-2 visas, which are temporary non-immigrant visas for workers and treaty investors. These visa holders, while eligible to receive a non-domiciled CDL, must undergo enhanced interagency vetting.
Additionally, state driver's licensing agencies will be required to confirm every applicant's immigration status via the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements system.
"For far too long, America has allowed dangerous foreign drivers to abuse our truck licensing systems — wreaking havoc on our roadways. This safety loophole ends today," Duffy said. "Moving forward, unqualified foreign drivers will be unable to get a license to operate an 80,000-pound big rig. Under President Trump's leadership, we are putting the safety of the driving public first. From enforcing English language standards to holding fraudulent carriers accountable, we will continue to attack this crisis on our roads head-on."
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator Derek Barrs stated, "If we cannot verify your safe driving history, you cannot hold a CDL in this country."
"At least 17 fatal crashes and 30 deaths in 2025 alone were caused by non-domiciled drivers who will now be ineligible to get a license," the DOT stated.
RELATED: Trucker accused of killing 4 Amish men — and DHS claims he's an 'illegal alien'
California has repeatedly leaned on EADs to defend its issuance of CDLs to foreign nationals who were involved in fatal accidents.
In October, Jashanpreet Singh, a 21-year-old Indian national with a California CDL despite being in the United States illegally, was involved in a collision on the I-10 freeway that resulted in the deaths of three individuals, including a high school basketball coach and his wife.
"The FEDERAL government approves and renews all FEDERAL employment authorization documents that allows individuals to work and obtain commercial driver's licenses," the California State Transportation Agency stated.
In August, Harjinder Singh, a 28-year-old Indian national who also obtained his CDL in California, was accused of causing a crash that killed three people in Florida. California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom's office similarly blamed the federal government, again citing the driver's work permit.
"Hey, Commander Cosplay," the office wrote, referring to President Donald Trump, "the federal government (YOU) already confirmed that this guy meets federal and state immigration requirements — YOU issued him a work permit (EAD). Oops."
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Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) unveiled the TruckSafe Tipline on Tuesday, which allows those who work in the trucking industry to report carriers that may be breaking federal laws.
“If you’re a trucker or work in the industry and see something unsafe or know of shady carriers hiring illegals, I want to hear from you,” Banks wrote in a post on social media.
'The TruckSafe Tipline gives people on the ground a way to speak up when they see carriers cutting corners and putting lives at risk.'
The reporting system encourages truckers to submit a form if they believe a carrier has employed or contracted drivers who are illegally in the U.S., who are not authorized to drive, or who do not meet the English-language proficiency requirements.
Banks’ office will share the submitted tips with the Department of Transportation and its Office of Inspector General.
“Indiana is the Crossroads of America and Hoosiers are getting killed because drivers who shouldn’t be here in the first place are behind the wheel. If you’re driving a truck on our roads, you need to be legal, you need to be able to read traffic signs, and you need to follow the law. The TruckSafe Tipline gives people on the ground a way to speak up when they see carriers cutting corners and putting lives at risk,” Banks stated.
The tip line was launched following a semi-truck crash in Indiana last week that resulted in the deaths of four Amish men, including a father and two sons.
RELATED: Trucker accused of killing 4 Amish men — and DHS claims he's an 'illegal alien'
The driver of the truck, Bekzhan Beishekeev, a 30-year-old Kyrgyzstani national who obtained his commercial driver’s license in Pennsylvania despite allegedly residing in the U.S. illegally, was accused of swerving into oncoming traffic and striking a 15-passenger van head-on.
Beishekeev is in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
RELATED: 'Do it NATIONWIDE!' Florida mandates English-only driver’s tests, following Trump's lead
Banks’ office noted that the DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is investigating the carrier that employed Beishekeev as well as several other companies.
“These interconnected carriers have all the markings of FRAUD and are accused of being CHAMELEON CARRIERS. This is when companies swap names and DOT numbers to avoid enforcement,” DOT Secretary Sean Duffy stated. “The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is working AROUND THE CLOCK to hold anyone involved in this horrific crime accountable.”
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A Kyrgyzstani semi-truck driver is in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody following a collision that caused the death of multiple individuals.
Around 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Bekzhan Beishekeev, 30, was driving east on State Road 67 in Indiana when his truck collided head-on with a van, killing four of the vehicle's occupants.
'Beishekeev illegally came to the United States using the Biden administration's disastrous CBP One app and was released into the United States.'
Beishekeev was accused of failing to slow down for another semi-truck in front of him and swerving into oncoming traffic.
The collision killed Henry Eicher, 50; his two sons, Menno Eicher, 25, and Paul Eicher, 19; and a family friend, Simon Girod, 23, FreightWaves reported. The men belonged to Bryant, Indiana's Amish community. The van's driver, Donald Stipp, 55, reportedly underwent surgery and is in stable condition.
The Department of Homeland Security, which referred to Beishekeev as an "illegal alien," stated that the truck driver crashed into a van "carrying up to 15 passengers."
Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated on Thursday that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration was conducting an on-site investigation of the carrier that hired Beishekeev.
"There MUST be accountability for the community of Bryant, Indiana, who are devastated by the loss of their loved ones," Duffy declared. "I will continue to demand we shine a spotlight on these preventable tragedies and pray for the beautiful Amish community."
RELATED: Illegal alien truckers with California licenses accused of hauling $7M in cocaine across state lines
Beishekeev is a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, according to the Indiana State Police. He entered the United States on December 19, 2024, in Nogales, Arizona, by using the Biden administration CBP One cellphone app.
"Beishekeev illegally came to the United States using the Biden administration's disastrous CBP One app and was released into the United States. Even worse, Josh Shapiro's Pennsylvania issued him a commercial driver's license," the DHS wrote. "Sanctuary politicians must STOP issuing commercial driver's licenses to illegal aliens before another American is killed."
RELATED: 'Slow-walking' safety? Trump DOT threatens to yank $24M over Colorado's illegal CDL mess.
Gov. Shapiro argued that Beishekeev had legal status.
“Every person who applies for a non-domiciled commercial driver’s license issued by PennDOT must provide proof of identify and proof of their legal presence in the United States. That information is verified by the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database, administered by Kristi Noem and the United States Department of Homeland Security,” a spokesperson for Shapiro told Fox News.
"The individual in question had legal status in Kristi Noem’s database when the license was issued in July 2025 and still shows as eligible to receive a license as of today. Kristi Noem should focus on minding the shop in her own agency, as her incompetence and operational failures seem to be matching the scale of her moral failures as the Secretary of Homeland Security," the spokesperson added.
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The Department of Transportation warned Colorado that the state could lose $24 million in federal highway funding if it continues to drag its feet on addressing illegally issued commercial driver's licenses, according to a press release exclusively obtained by Blaze News.
'Colorado has two options: Revoke the licenses immediately, or I will pull federal funding.'
In September, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy shared the results of a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration audit, which found "systemic noncompliance" among state driver licensing agencies in several states, including Colorado.
The audit revealed that 22% of Colorado's non-domiciled CDLs were issued illegally. Most of those licenses were reportedly issued to Mexican nationals. Drivers who are citizens of Mexico or Canada are ineligible to obtain non-domiciled CDLs and must instead acquire licenses from their home countries.
Some of the CDLs issued to immigrants by Colorado reportedly had expiration dates that exceeded the drivers' lawful presence in the U.S.
The DOT demanded that the state immediately pull the illegal licenses to come into compliance with federal laws.
A Monday press release from the department claimed that Colorado had "admitted that these violations were not accidental, but the result of a 2016 statewide policy decision to disregard federal law and give trucking licenses to ineligible Mexican citizens."
Blaze News reached out to the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles, and the governor’s office for comment. The Colorado DOT directed Blaze News to contact the state’s Department of Revenue, which oversees the Division of Motor Vehicles.
RELATED: Exclusive: DOT withholds $40M from blue state for flouting English requirements for truckers
The DOT asserted that the state has been "slow-walking a purge of illegally issued truck licenses," cautioning that Colorado could lose $24 million in federal highway funds. The DOT also warned that it could decertify Colorado's CDL program.
According to the department, Colorado has not produced a complete audit or accounting of the illegal licenses.
"This continued delay signals a lack of urgency that puts public safety at risk," the press release read.
RELATED: Trump’s DOT claims 53% of New York’s non-domiciled CDLs were issued illegally
"Colorado doesn't get to pick and choose what federal rules it follows — especially when the driving public is at risk," Secretary Duffy stated. "It's been nearly two months since Colorado admitted that they knowingly broke the law and gave Mexican nationals trucking licenses. Colorado has two options: Revoke the licenses immediately, or I will pull federal funding. Every day that goes by is another day unqualified, unvetted foreign truckers are jeopardizing the safety of you and your family."
Colorado received notice of its noncompliance in September, the same time the DOT also issued a similar notice to Texas. On September 29, the Texas Department of Public Safety announced that it had complied with the DOT's request and immediately suspended the issuance of certain CDLs.
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An American citizen was killed in a multi-vehicle pileup in Tennessee last week after an illegal alien bus driver allegedly rear-ended a semi-truck while driving along I-40.
This marks the latest fatal crash tied to an illegal alien who obtained a commercial driver's license in the United States despite unlawful status.
'Far too many innocent Americans have been killed by illegal aliens driving semi-trucks and big rigs.'
Yisong Huang, a 54-year-old Chinese national, illegally entered the U.S. in 2023. While he admitted to Border Patrol agents that he had unlawfully entered the country, the Biden administration released him and provided him with work authorization documents and a Social Security card, the Department of Homeland Security reported.
Huang used his work documents to obtain a Class B CDL in New York, which allowed him to operate a bus.
On December 9, Huang allegedly caused a multi-vehicle crash after he rear-ended a tractor-trailer. Investigators found that Huang was "distracted by a video on his phone."
The incident resulted in the death of American citizen Kerry Smith and injuries to two other individuals. There were no passengers on Huang's bus at the time of the crash.
RELATED: Trump’s DOT claims 53% of New York’s non-domiciled CDLs were issued illegally
Huang failed his English proficiency test administered after the fatal collision.
"Far too many innocent Americans have been killed by illegal aliens driving semi-trucks and big rigs. And yet sanctuary states around the country have been issuing illegal aliens commercial driver's licenses. The Trump administration is ending the chaos," DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said. "The brave men and women of ICE are working nonstop to get criminal illegal aliens out of our communities and off our roads."
RELATED: Illegal alien trucker accused of causing crash that killed newlyweds
Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, "It's not just that Joe Biden let millions of migrants flood into our country illegally. His administration doled out the documentation these unqualified foreigner drivers needed to obtain trucking licenses and operate 40-ton missiles on the highway. The fact that this individual failed a basic English test also calls into question how he even got the license in the first place. Working with Secretary Noem, we will continue to fight to keep you and your family safe on America's roadways."
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Thirty people died in 17 semi-truck crashes caused by noncitizen commercial truck drivers in 2025, according to the Department of Transportation. That number is almost certainly an undercount. Prior to 2025, the immigration status of a commercial truck driver was mostly not recorded in crash reports, court filings, or news coverage. The national conversation focuses […]
