By Adam Echelman, CalMatters
This article was initially published by CalMatters. Subscribe to their newsletters for updates.
New Regulations Impacting Truck Drivers in California
Proposed federal regulations may soon result in a loss of 61,000 truck drivers in California as the Trump administration seeks to restrict certain immigrants from obtaining commercial driving licenses. This decreased availability of drivers could lead to increased shipping costs for consumers.
Federal Crackdown on Immigrant Truck Drivers
Following an executive order issued by President Trump in April, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy initiated stricter regulations preventing refugees, asylum seekers, and DACA recipients from receiving commercial trucking licenses, while also intensifying enforcement against those with limited English proficiency. California is the focal point of these actions, leading to tensions between Duffy and Governor Gavin Newsom.
Responses from California Officials
Duffy stated that California’s practices pose a safety threat, claiming that licenses were being given to dangerous foreign drivers. In response, Newsom’s office ridiculed Duffy’s assertions as falsehoods. Until now, the federal government had permitted states to issue trucking licenses to non-citizen immigrants, making up approximately 8% of active trucking licenses in California.
Anticipated Economic Disruptions
The newly implemented regulations will likely result in a significant drop in the number of licensed immigrant truck drivers, which could negatively affect California’s transportation economy and drive up shipping costs, according to Rebecca Higgins from the Eno Center on Transportation.
Claims of Insufficient Evidence
While the federal government has pointed to high-profile accidents involving undocumented truck drivers to bolster its case for these regulations, it admitted that evidence connecting immigrant drivers to increased danger is lacking. Critics argue that this focus distracts from the root causes of traffic accidents, such as reckless behaviors like speeding and DUI.
Impact of License Rescissions
Following an audit, California has rescinded 17,000 licenses from immigrant drivers, giving them 60 days to stop driving and find alternative employment. Duffy accused California of violating federal law, whereas California officials maintained that they only acted to comply with new rules. Despite rescinding licenses, many immigrant drivers will be unable to renew as long as the federal regulations remain in effect, and new applications from these populations have been denied.
Legal Challenges Ahead
A recent ruling temporarily paused the implementation of the new federal regulations due to insufficient prior notice, although California will continue its actions against immigrant licenses. A lawsuit from national unions representing truck drivers seeks to challenge these regulations further.
This article was originally published on CalMatters and is republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.
