U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy today exposed that one third of Minnesota’s non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) reviewed by Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) were issued illegally. Minnesota has 30 days to come into compliance and revoke the illegally issued licenses-or risk losing up to $30.4 million in federal highway funding. After months of deadly crashes caused by illegal foreign drivers, the Department is cracking down on states that have failed to follow the law.
“Our audit exposes yet another example of foreigners taking advantage of Minnesota services under Governor Walz’s watch,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “Minnesota failed to follow the law and illegally doled out trucking licenses to unsafe, unqualified non-citizens – endangering American families on the road. That abuse stops now under the Trump Administration. The Department will withhold funding if Minnesota continues this reckless behavior that puts non-citizens gaming the system ahead of the safety of Americans.”
In a letter sent today to Governor Tim Walz and Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson, FMCSA outlined the audit’s alarming findings of the state recklessly issued non-domiciled CDLs to:
- Drivers whose licenses were valid long after their lawful presence in the U.S. expired.
- Drivers who were prohibited from holding a non-domiciled commercial CDL.
- Drivers without Minnesota first verifying the individual’s lawful presence in the U.S.
USDOT is now demanding that Minnesota take the following corrective measures to avoid funding being withheld:
- Pause issuance of non-domiciled CDLs.
- Identify all unexpired non-domiciled CDLs that fail to comply with FMCSA regulations.
- Revoke and reissue all noncompliant non-domiciled CDLs if they comply with the federal requirements.
- Conduct a comprehensive internal audit to identify all procedural and programming errors, training and quality assurance problems, insufficient policies and practices, and other issues that have resulted in the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs that did not meet Federal rules.
“Minnesota is openly and blatantly defying our rules, plain and simple,” said FMCSA Derek D. Barrs. “Under the Trump Administration, states have two choices: meet our standards or face the consequences. Following the law is not optional.”
The Department will continue its nationwide audit of state CDL issuance practices to restore safety to American roadways and integrity to the CDL program.
Additional Information:
President Trump’s Executive Order on truck driver roadway safety shined a light on the widespread negligence of states that were illegally issuing non-domiciled CDLs. In response, USDOT swiftly launched a nationwide non-domiciled CDL audit, which has uncovered glaring compliance failures in several states, including California and Pennsylvania.
In June, Secretary Duffy announced a nationwide audit of states issuing non-domiciled CDLs and unveiled a pro-trucker package that includes millions to expand truck parking, the removal of one-size-fits-all mandates, the modernization of driver resources, and the slashing of red tape.
In addition to these enforcement actions, Secretary Duffy signed an order announcing new guidelines to strengthen English language enforcement for commercial truck operators. Under the new guidance, commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers who fail to comply with FMCSA longstanding English-language proficiency (ELP) requirements will be placed out-of-service. This focus on language proficiency aligns with President Trump’s March Executive Order designating English as the official language of the United States.