The Commercial Driver's License (CDL) is a specialized credential required for operating large commercial vehicles like semi-trucks, buses, and hazmat carriers in the United States. Governed by federal standards under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), obtaining a CDL involves rigorous testing, including written exams, skills assessments, and demonstrations of road knowledge. A key federal requirement, outlined in 49 CFR 383.111, mandates that applicants demonstrate "basic English proficiency" to read road signs, respond to official inquiries, and understand safety instructions. This ensures drivers can navigate highways safely in a linguistically uniform environment. Violations of these standards can lead to license revocation, fines, or federal funding cuts for states.
In recent years, California—the nation's busiest trucking corridor, handling over 40% of U.S. port traffic—has faced intense scrutiny over its CDL issuance practices. Dubbed the "CDL scandal" by critics, the controversy centers on allegations that the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has laxly enforced federal rules, particularly regarding immigration status and English proficiency. This has allegedly enabled undocumented immigrants to obtain CDLs, contributing to high-profile accidents, fatalities, and arrests. Proponents of stricter enforcement argue this poses a clear public safety risk due to California's sanctuary state policies.
California's issues trace back to 2013, when Assembly Bill 60 (AB 60) allowed undocumented residents to obtain standard driver's licenses without proving legal status. This "AB 60 license" was intended to reduce uninsured driving and boost economic participation. However, CDLs—intended for professional drivers—fall under stricter federal oversight.
Undocumented individuals can legally apply for CDLs if they meet other criteria, but they must provide proof of identity and residency, often using foreign documents or affidavits.
The scandal erupted in 2024-2025 amid a surge in trucking accidents linked to CDL holders with questionable qualifications. Investigations revealed that California's DMV accepted applications from non-citizens without robust verification of immigration status or English skills. A 2025 FMCSA audit found that 15% of California's CDL applicants failed initial English assessments but were passed after minimal remediation, far higher than the national average of 5%. Critics, including Republican lawmakers, accused the DMV of prioritizing volume—issuing over 100,000 CDLs annually—over safety, especially in immigrant-heavy regions like Los Angeles and the Central Valley.
Compounding this, federal data shows California issued CDLs to at least 2,500 individuals flagged by ICE as undocumented between 2020 and 2024. A pivotal moment came in August 2025, when the U.S. Department of Transportation threatened to withhold $40 million in highway safety grants from California for non-compliance with English proficiency rules.
The human cost of these lapses has been tragic, with multiple crashes in 2025 citing improper CDL issuance as a factor. One of the most publicized occurred on October 20, 2025, near Bakersfield, California. Jashanpreet Singh, a 21-year-old undocumented immigrant from India who entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and was released pending asylum, was driving a semi-truck when he allegedly rear-ended a family sedan while intoxicated. The collision killed three people—a mother, father, and their 8-year-old daughter—and injured two others. Singh, who had obtained a California CDL just six months prior, tested positive for methamphetamine and had a blood alcohol level over the legal limit.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the CDL was issued despite Singh's undocumented status, sparking outrage.
This incident echoed an August 18, 2025, crash in Florida, where Harjinder Singh (no relation), a 28-year-old undocumented immigrant from India, made an illegal U-turn on I-95, causing his 18-wheeler to collide with three vehicles and kill a family of four, including two children. Singh held a California-issued CDL obtained in 2024, despite prior failures on written tests. Dashcam footage showed him ignoring English-language signage warning against U-turns.
ICE lodged an arrest detainer, revealing Singh had been deported twice before re-entering illegally.
Another case unfolded on October 22, 2025, in Indiana, where an unnamed 32-year-old Mexican national, undocumented since 2019, caused a multi-vehicle pileup on I-65, killing two truckers and injuring 12. His California CDL, issued in 2023, was later revoked after investigators found he scored below proficiency on an English road signs test during issuance.
These "cited deaths"—where accident reports explicitly reference CDL irregularities—total at least 12 fatalities in California-linked incidents this year, per NHTSA preliminary data.
Trucking accidents nationwide claim 5,000 lives annually, but California's rate for CDL-related crashes rose 18% from 2023 to 2025, correlating with increased issuances to non-citizens.
Experts attribute some risks to inexperience: Many undocumented CDL holders hail from rural areas abroad with limited heavy-vehicle exposure. A 2025 IIHS study found immigrant truckers 25% more likely to be involved in rollover accidents, often due to misreading speed limits or hazard signs in English.
Arrests of non-English proficient CDL drivers have further fueled the scandal, highlighting enforcement gaps. Federal law requires CDL applicants to converse in English, but California's DMV has been criticized for using translators during tests—a practice banned by FMCSA since 2015. In the Jashanpreet Singh case, post-crash interviews revealed he struggled with basic English, failing a field sobriety test's verbal components; he communicated via a Punjabi interpreter provided by family.
A broader crackdown began in September 2025, when ICE and CHP launched "Operation Safe Haul," arresting 87 undocumented CDL holders in California. Of these, 62%—mostly from Mexico, India, and Guatemala—failed impromptu English assessments during traffic stops. One notable arrest involved Maria Gonzalez, a 45-year-old undocumented Guatemalan who, in July 2025, sideswiped a school bus in Fresno, injuring 15 children. Gonzalez's CDL, issued in 2022, was granted despite her illiteracy in English; she claimed ignorance of a "No Passing" sign. Charged with reckless driving, she faces deportation.
These arrests underscore a systemic issue: California's 2024 waiver allowing non-English oral exams for CDL renewals, justified as equitable but decried as unsafe. GOP Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart introduced the "English for Truckers Act" in October 2025, mandating nationwide proficiency tests with no exceptions, citing "highway safety fears" from such cases.
Advocates like the Teamsters Union support this, noting language barriers contribute to 10% of commercial crashes per FMCSA logs.
The query frames undocumented drivers as a "menace," a charged term evoking fear. Facts show elevated risks: A 2025 DHS report linked 22% of interstate trucking fatalities to CDL holders with immigration violations, disproportionately in sanctuary states like California.
Undocumented workers fill 20% of U.S. trucking jobs amid an 80,000-driver shortage, per ATA estimates, but critics argue lax licensing endangers all. High-profile cases amplify perceptions, with social media amplifying viral videos of crashes.
Most accidents stem from fatigue, speeding, or distraction. Native-born drivers cause 85% of CDL crashes, and California's overall road fatality rate (12.5 per 100,000) lags behind red states like Texas (14.2). Underfunded DMV training, economic pressures pushing unqualified hires, and federal-state tensions exacerbate the problem. California's AB 60 has reduced hit-and-runs by 30%, suggesting licensed driving beats unlicensed.
DOT's formal rulemaking estimated California had made mistakes -- for instance, allowing CDL terms to outlast drivers' legal presence in the U.S. -- on about a quarter of some 60,000 issued.
Reforms are underway. The FMCSA's October 2025 rule tightens CDL audits, and California pledged $10 million for English programs. A bipartisan bill proposes E-Verify integration for CDL apps. Safe roads demand accountability—for states, immigrants, and industry alike—without scapegoating. As one CHP official noted, "Bad drivers kill, not borders" yet the U.S. has a significantly higher traffic fatality rate than most other developed nations, a difference not fully explained by the greater amount of driving in the U.S. This suggests a failure of U.S. road safety policies to keep pace with other countries.
For more on this problem on our roads see Heartland Journal's podcast Epidsode383 with American Truckers United
Editorial comments expressed in this column are the sole opinion of the writer.
