California’s trucking sector has been hit by a major labour shock after the state cancelled about 13,000 non-domiciled commercial driver’s licences under federal orders, with a separate Trump administration rule now set to make it harder for many immigrant drivers across the country to renew or obtain new credentials. The combined impact has raised concerns about freight movement, driver availability and added strain on one of the busiest goods-transport systems in the United States.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles said the federal government required the cancellations effective March 6, 2026. The affected drivers were not undocumented workers. According to the DMV, they were legally present in the United States when their licences were issued and included holders of various visas, refugees and asylees. The state said the problem traces back to licensing errors involving non-domiciled commercial drivers, including credentials issued with expiry dates that did not properly align with an individual’s period of lawful stay in the U.S.
State officials argue the fallout reaches beyond the drivers themselves. California moves an enormous volume of freight, and the sudden removal of thousands of commercial drivers threatens to squeeze an industry already dealing with recruitment challenges and turnover. DMV Director Steve Gordon sharply criticized Washington’s move, saying, “This federal administration is using their war on immigration to remove qualified, hardworking commercial drivers from our workforce who meet language and safety rules.”
The DMV had tried to issue corrected licences to affected drivers, but said the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration blocked that effort. A court ruling has since allowed affected individuals to submit new CDL applications, but California says the federal government is still preventing the state from processing them. FMCSA guidance also says states unable to comply with the revised federal standards must pause issuing non-domiciled commercial learner’s permits and commercial driver’s licences until they do comply.
The California fight is unfolding alongside a broader federal policy change that took effect March 16. The Transportation Department rule bars asylum seekers, refugees and DACA recipients from obtaining commercial driver’s licences, and The Washington Post reported that about 200,000 immigrant truck drivers nationwide will begin losing their driving privileges as existing licences expire. Immigrants hold about 5 percent of all commercial driver’s licences in the U.S., according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Federal officials say the new rule is rooted in safety concerns. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in announcing the measure that “dangerous foreign drivers” had been allowed to exploit licensing systems, while critics argue the policy targets legally authorized workers without proof they are less safe behind the wheel. With legal challenges underway and California still searching for a fix, the dispute now points to a larger test for the trucking industry, one that could affect jobs, freight costs and supply chains in the months ahead.
