2,000 Truckers BANNED Overnight

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy just pulled over 2,000 drivers and vehicles off America’s highways, and the reason why should terrify anyone who shares the road with 18-wheelers.

Story Snapshot

Federal crackdown removes unqualified foreign truck drivers following deadly multi-vehicle crashes across multiple states in 2025
Over 30 states issued commercial licenses to drivers without verifying their foreign driving records or proper immigration status
Operation SafeDRIVE inspected over 8,200 commercial vehicles, resulting in 704 driver violations and 56 arrests
New DOT regulations close licensing loopholes by mandating foreign driving history checks and immigration verification starting March 2026

When 16 Vehicles Become a Wake-Up Call

A March 2025 morning on Austin’s I-35 turned catastrophic when an 18-wheeler plowed into 16 vehicles. The crash wasn’t an isolated tragedy. Within months, similar incidents painted a disturbing pattern across America’s highways. An August pileup on Florida’s Turnpike claimed three lives. Three more died in an October eight-vehicle collision on a California highway. December brought a train collision in Ontario that killed a crew member. Each investigation pointed to the same systemic failure: commercial truck drivers operating 80,000-pound vehicles with licenses they should never have received.

The Documents That Couldn’t Tell the Truth

States handed out tens of thousands of non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses to foreign drivers using Employment Authorization Documents. These EADs became permission slips for disaster because they contained zero information about a driver’s history. No accident records from their home countries. No suspended licenses. No prior violations. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration couldn’t access foreign driving databases the way it monitors American drivers. Six states earned citations for systematic non-compliance: California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, and Washington. Texas alone, with the nation’s largest commercial driver population, failed to invalidate licenses when residency authorizations expired.

Operation SafeDRIVE Hits the Brakes

Between January 13 and 15, 2026, federal and state enforcement teams fanned across 26 states plus the District of Columbia. Operation SafeDRIVE conducted 8,215 commercial vehicle inspections in 72 hours. The results validated every concern: 704 drivers pulled off the road, 1,231 vehicles tagged out-of-service, and 56 arrests. FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs emphasized the focus on driver qualifications and impairment. The American Trucking Associations, through Vice President Brenna Lyles, praised the coordinated effort as essential for consistent highway safety laws. Immigration and Customs Enforcement joined the sweep, arresting over 100 drivers in the country illegally since the crackdown began.

Closing the Gate After the Crash

Duffy’s Department of Transportation codified sweeping reforms in late 2025, with enforcement beginning around March 15, 2026. States must now verify foreign driving histories before issuing commercial licenses. The SAVE system for immigration verification became mandatory, replacing the inadequate EAD process. The administration simultaneously moved on English proficiency requirements and forced 7,500 commercial driver’s license schools to close for non-compliance. Some states pushed back through litigation. California’s DMV faces lawsuits from affected drivers, and courts blocked certain restrictions. Duffy wielded federal funding threats against non-compliant states like New York, making clear that highway safety trumps bureaucratic resistance.

What Changed and What Comes Next

The trucking industry finds itself in transformation. Over 2,000 drivers and vehicles removed from service represents an immediate safety gain for American families. The long-term impact extends beyond numbers. Preventing unverified foreign nationals from obtaining commercial licenses without proven driving competence addresses a vulnerability that claimed multiple lives in 2024 and 2025. Five-year-old Dalilah Coleman, injured in a 2024 California crash caused by a driver in the country illegally, represents the human cost of administrative negligence. Economic disruptions ripple through truck-dependent states like Texas, where labor shortages may tighten as unqualified operators lose credentials. The American Trucking Associations supports the reforms despite short-term friction, recognizing that fewer unqualified competitors strengthen industry standards.

The Federal Hammer Comes Down

Duffy framed the crackdown within the Trump administration’s broader priorities, linking transportation safety to immigration enforcement and regulatory accountability. The whole-of-government approach coordinates DOT audits, ICE arrests, and state compliance through federal funding pressure. This precedent for federal oversight of state licensing systems sets a new standard. States that issued commercial licenses without verifying applicant qualifications now face audits and potential financial penalties. The reforms don’t just close one loophole; they establish verification protocols that fundamentally alter how America credentials drivers of its largest commercial vehicles. Whether litigation slows implementation remains uncertain, but the direction is irreversible. American highways got their first comprehensive defense against the bureaucratic failures that let unqualified drivers operate vehicles capable of catastrophic damage.