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Lawmakers say noncitizen CDL rule risks nationwide trucking shortage
The Sikh Coalition too, expressed its backing for the letter, noting that the pressure tactic of withholding funds undermines road safety.
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Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Tue, 16, Jun 2026
- 04:07 EDT
- 44
Congressman Ami Bera / X/@RepBera
Democratic U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, along with Rep. Ami Bera and 20 other U.S. legislators, wrote to U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Sean Duffy urging USDOT to reconsider its disputed “final rule” on commercial driver's licenses for noncitizens.
The February order, dubbed the "final rule," tightened eligibility for noncitizens to obtain or renew commercial driver's licenses, raising fresh concerns among immigrant and diaspora communities that rely on trucking and transport jobs.
The new rule, issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), restricts access to non-domiciled commercial learner's permits and commercial driver's licenses to a narrow set of employment-based nonimmigrant visa holders and eliminates the use of Employment Authorization Documents as proof of eligibility.
Also Read: U.S. bill targets commercial driving license use by illegal migrants
Backed by the Sikh Coalition, the lawmakers spotlighted that the new rule restricts drivers from obtaining a CDL if they do not have an H-2A, H-2B or E-2 visa, disqualifying hundreds of thousands of eligible drivers and potentially creating a driver shortage that could lead to a supply chain crisis.
“As California accounts for approximately 25% of the nation's drayage capacity — the critical short-haul trips moving goods from our ports to the national supply chain — the Department's rule creates an immediate bottleneck with national implications," noted the lawmakers in their letter.
They continued, "Industry estimates suggest this rule could reduce the workforce in states like California by 15% to 25%, creating localized pressures that will resonate throughout the supply chain," the lawmakers wrote.
Additionally, the lawmakers urged USDOT to roll back the decision to withhold $160 million in FY2027 National Highway Performance Program funds to California over allegations of delays in the cancellation of 17,000 commercial driver's licenses.
The letter read, "Implementing a rule that effectively pauses or severely restricts non-domiciled CDL programs nationwide and withholding $160 million in FY2027 National Highway Performance Program funds from California — infrastructure dollars meant to maintain roads all Americans use — are punitive actions that undermine road safety and the integrity of our national supply chain and workforce."
The Sikh Coalition expressed its backing for the letter, noting that the pressure tactic of withholding funds undermines road safety.
Mannirmal Kaur, senior federal policy manager at the Sikh Coalition, said, "Implementing a rule that effectively pauses or severely restricts non-domiciled CDL programs nationwide and withholding $160 million in FY2027 National Highway Performance Program funds from California — infrastructure dollars meant to maintain roads all Americans use — are punitive actions that undermine road safety and the integrity of our national supply chain and workforce."
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