Trump administration cracks down on foreign truck drivers amid safety concerns

• President Donald Trump signed an executive order on April 28 to reinstate strict English-language requirements for commercial drivers and audit the use of foreign-issued and non-domiciled CDLs, reversing Obama-era policies.
• The order responds to a rise in truck-related deaths and high-profile crashes involving drivers with limited English proficiency, which the administration links to lax enforcement of existing language and licensing laws.
• It mandates a full review of non-domiciled CDLs, which critics claim have become a loophole allowing underqualified foreign nationals to legally operate on U.S. roads.
• Shannon Everett, of American Truckers United, supports the crackdown, arguing that the real issue is wage suppression and high turnover, not a driver shortage, as industry leaders claim.
• Everett and other advocates call the new regulations a necessary step toward improving road safety and labor standards, emphasizing that the issue is about enforcement and accountability, not xenophobia.

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order overhauling commercial trucking regulations, targeting “dangerous loopholes” that have allowed foreign drivers with inadequate English proficiency and loosely vetted licenses to operate on U.S. highways.

Under U.S. law, commercial drivers must be able to read road signs and communicate with law enforcement in English. However, the Trump administration claimed the rule has been inconsistently enforced, leaving highways vulnerable to preventable tragedies.

As a response, Trump signed an executive order on April 28 that directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to reinstate strict English-language testing for commercial drivers and investigate the widespread use of foreign-issued and non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs). The move reverses Obama-era policies that relaxed language requirements and aims to address rising truck-related fatalities linked to language barriers and licensing fraud.

The administration argues that existing gaps in enforcement have allowed underqualified foreign drivers, particularly from Mexico, India and Serbia, to obtain licenses without meeting federally mandated communication requirements. The White House cited several fatal accidents as evidence of the risks posed by drivers with poor English comprehension.

Among those incidents were the 2019 Colorado crash involving Cuban driver Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, which killed four people; a 2024 deadly collision on U.S. Highway 285 in Texas caused by Mexican national Ignacio Cruz-Mendoza; and a January 2025 fatal wreck in West Virginia involving Singh Sukhjinder, who reportedly needed a translator to speak with police.

Moreover, the executive order, expected to be released by the end of June, calls for a full audit of non-domiciled CDLs – licenses issued to individuals who do not reside in the state where they are certified. Originally designed to streamline administrative processes, the category has become “a backdoor for foreign nationals” to operate U.S. commercial vehicles with limited oversight.

“Federal law is clear, a driver who cannot sufficiently read or speak English – our national language – and understand road signs is unqualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle in America. This commonsense standard should have never been abandoned,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “This Department will always put America’s truck drivers first.”

Everett backs crackdown on foreign licenses as safety and wage crisis deepen

Shannon Everett, co-founder of the advocacy group American Truckers United, said the issue is not just about safety but also about economic exploitation.

Everett, a vocal proponent of the federal crackdown on foreign CDLs, accused companies of using foreign drivers to suppress wages, citing figures that show over 24,000 open truck driver positions nationwide. A Southern Bank Co. study estimates the driver gap is costing the economy $95.5 million in weekly productivity losses.

However, Everett argued that the so-called labor shortage is a myth driven by poor industry practices. (Related: Trump’s English-language rule for truckers sparks exodus of foreign-born drivers.)

A recent report from the OOIDA Research Foundation supports that view, revealing that turnover at some major trucking companies exceeds 90 percent. The study suggests firms are relying on a steady influx of low-cost, short-term labor, including foreign drivers, to maintain operations rather than investing in long-term retention.

Everett insists the new federal measures are a necessary first step toward systemic reform. “This isn’t about xenophobia,” he said. “It’s about safety, enforcement and ensuring that everyone behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler on American roads can read a road sign and communicate in emergencies.”

Migrants.news has more articles about foreign workers being used to fill labor shortages in the trucking industry.

Watch Brannon Howse discussing a trucker’s call for protests against New York in this clip from the “Worldview Report.”

This video is from the WorldViewTube channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Recruiting senior drivers could alleviate truck driver shortage, port backlogs.

Trucking industry is short 80,000 truck drivers amid supply chain crisis.

Shortage of truck drivers in the US forces companies to look overseas.

Poorly vetted foreign drivers flooding U.S. highways, causing deadly crashes.

Sources include:

YourNews.com

Transportation.gov

Brighteon.com