28,000 foreign truck drivers lose licenses in the U.S. due to new federal rules

As part of the measures established by the Trump administration and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, more than 28,000 foreign truck drivers have stopped operating in the United States. After several states revoked commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) for non-resident drivers that had been issued improperly, the transportation industry has lost nearly 30,000 drivers to date.

Duffy stated that the measures are part of a strategy to strengthen oversight of the freight transportation industry and ensure that foreign drivers comply with stricter immigration and safety requirements.

The Department of Transportation, through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), conducted audits of state commercial licensing programs for non-residents. During these audits, 26 states were subjected to official enforcement actions after authorities found that more than 30 entities had issued tens of thousands of commercial licenses and permits in violation of federal regulations.

Among the irregularities identified were:

• Licenses granted to drivers whose legal status in the U.S. had expired.
• Citizens of Mexico and Canada who were not eligible for non-resident CDLs due to bilateral agreements allowing them to use licenses issued in their home countries.
• Lawful permanent residents who should have received regular licenses rather than non-resident permits.
• Foreign drivers without sufficient proof of legal residency in the United States.

New Rules Could Push 194,000 Truck Drivers Out of the Market

The final rule approved by the FMCSA in February 2026, which took effect on March 16 and severely restricts foreign drivers’ access to non-resident commercial licenses, could result in even greater losses for the trucking industry.

The agency estimates that around 194,000 current CDL holders without a U.S. domicile could be forced out of the freight transportation sector due to the new eligibility criteria. So far, the revocation of more than 28,000 licenses by authorities represents about 14% of the potentially affected drivers.

The new provisions approved by the FMCSA limit eligibility exclusively to individuals holding certain types of temporary work visas, including:

• H-2A visas for agricultural workers.
• H-2B visas for temporary non-agricultural jobs.
• E-2 investor visas.

According to the FMCSA, these categories allow for more rigorous verification through consular investigations and driving background reviews, procedures that previously were not applied to many foreign drivers.

The FMCSA warned that more drivers could lose their credentials if they live in states that fail to comply with the new federal regulations.

States that do not correct the irregularities could face penalties such as the withholding of federal funds and even a ban on issuing non-resident commercial licenses. California and New York have already received final notices of noncompliance and lost millions of dollars in federal funding as an initial sanction.