A week after immigrant groups filed a lawsuit, California said Tuesday it will delay the revocation of 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses until March to allow more time to ensure that truckers and bus drivers who legally qualify for the licenses can keep them.
California decided to revoke the licenses after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy pressured the state to stop granting licenses to immigrants illegally residing in the country. This decision came in light of incidents where unauthorized drivers caused fatal accidents. Notably, an illegal U-turn by an unauthorized driver in Florida resulted in a crash that killed three people in August.
Duffy did not comment on the delay immediately, but California officials are striving to ensure that their reforms will satisfy the federal Transportation Department’s requirements. The federal administration had previously blocked the state's plans to resume issuing licenses.
DMV Director Steve Gordon stressed the crucial role that commercial drivers play in California's economy, noting that their contributions are vital for maintaining supply chains and community connections.
The lawsuit was initiated by the Sikh Coalition and the Asian Law Caucus, which argue that immigrant truck drivers are being unfairly targeted in this crackdown. Both the fatal crash in Florida and a subsequent accident in California in October involved Sikh drivers.
While immigrants constitute about 20% of all truck drivers in the U.S., the special licenses under scrutiny are only a fraction of the total commercial driver's licenses, representing about 5% of the total.
Mumeeth Kaur, legal director of the Sikh Coalition, called the delay a significant step towards protecting the livelihoods of affected drivers.
In comments regarding federal funding, Duffy threatened financial repercussions for states that do not comply with revised licensing rules, highlighting ongoing tensions around immigration policy and road safety.
Trucking trade groups have expressed their support for the measures aimed at removing unqualified drivers from the roads while applauding the focus on eliminating questionable commercial driver’s license schools.
