DOT Tightens Non‑Domiciled CDL Rules After Crashes

The U.S. Department of Transportation issued an emergency interim rule on Sept. 26 tightening eligibility for non‑domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs), saying a federal audit found widespread noncompliance and linking improperly issued credentials to a string of deadly crashes in Alabama, Texas and Florida. Secretary Sean Duffy called the system “absolutely broken,” and the rule requires mandatory federal immigration checks through the SAVE system, in‑person renewals, and narrows eligibility largely to holders of specific employment visas — a change that could disqualify roughly 190,000 licenses. The FMCSA issued the action without normal notice-and-comment procedures and directed states to limit license validity to a year or the visa term and stop issuing non‑domiciled CDLs unless applicants meet the new standards. The DOT launched enforcement actions targeting several states, immediately halting some non‑domiciled CDL issuance in California and warning it could withhold about $160 million in federal highway funds if the state does not comply within 30 days. California officials pushed back, and the DOT said the measure aims to prevent unqualified noncitizen drivers from operating large commercial vehicles and restore safety on U.S. roads.