by Federal Pressure on North Carolina Over Driver’s License Issuance Violations
The Trump administration is intensifying its crackdown on foreign commercial drivers, and this pressure has now spread far beyond California. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean P. Duffy announced that more than half of the commercial driver’s licenses issued to immigrants in North Carolina were granted illegally. This has provoked a federal threat to withdraw millions of dollars in funding if the state does not immediately take measures to rectify the situation.
Following a national audit of truck driver’s license issuance systems, the Department of Transportation has already taken action against several states, threatening to withhold millions in federal funds from California, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and New York.
Scale of Violations
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reports that 54 percent of the inspected commercial driver’s licenses (CDL) for individuals without permanent residency in North Carolina were issued in violation of federal rules. The federal audit found that the expiration dates of many of these licenses were significantly later than the expiration of the driver’s lawful stay in the U.S. This repeats a problem previously identified in California that affected thousands of immigrant long-haul truckers.
Over half of CDLs for immigrants in NC violated federal guidelines. Licenses were valid longer than lawful stay, or did not undergo legal checks at all. The Department of Transportation threatens to withdraw $50 million if the state does not eliminate the violations.
Compliance Issues
Furthermore, it is alleged that many licenses were issued to drivers who were not eligible to receive commercial licenses without permanent residency, although the government did not explain precisely why and how this happened. CDLs were also issued to drivers before North Carolina verified whether the individual had a legal right to be in the U.S.
The federal government now threatens to withhold $50 million in funding if the state does not cease issuing all new CDLs to individuals without permanent residency and conduct a full compliance review. This includes identifying every active license that does not meet FMCSA standards.
FMCSA Administrator Derek D. Barrs described the level of non-compliance as “malicious.” “Under Secretary Duffy’s leadership, we will not hesitate to hold states accountable and protect the American people,” said Barrs.
Federal Government Demands
Officials have also instructed North Carolina to revoke and reissue all non-compliant licenses for immigrant drivers who still meet federal criteria. Concurrently, the state must conduct a full internal audit to identify procedural or systemic shortcomings that led to the current situation.
“North Carolina’s failure to comply with the rules is not just shameful – it is dangerous,” explained Duffy. “I call on the state’s leadership to immediately remove these dangerous drivers from our roads and bring order to their system. President Trump and I are committed to ensuring your safety and your family’s safety on our roads.”
As might be expected, there is a fair amount of fearmongering in this statement, as obviously not all drivers in question may be “dangerous.”
Broader Audit Context
These actions are part of a broader federal audit of state driver’s license issuance systems, with the Department of Transportation already threatening to withhold millions in funding from California, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and New York.
This situation in North Carolina points to systemic problems in the administration of commercial license issuance across the country, particularly concerning immigrants. The threat of financial sanctions is a powerful lever for the federal government to influence states, forcing them to review internal procedures. Road safety is often used as the primary justification for such actions, yet it is important to distinguish between real risks and political rhetoric. The potential sidelining of a significant number of drivers could also have serious economic consequences for the state’s transportation industry, which relies on the labor of these professionals. Resolving this issue will require not only technical corrections to the license issuance system but also, possibly, a review of some federal requirements regarding the legal status of commercial drivers.
