'Imminent hazard': Trump administration shuts licensing loophole after illegal alien trucker allegedly causes fatal crash

Sean Duffy's Department of Transportation is taking decisive action to protect American roadways following an increase in tragic accidents involving non-English-speaking truck drivers.

Safety and national security issues within the trucking industry gained national attention in August after an illegal alien who obtained his commercial driver's license in California allegedly caused a fatal wreck in Florida.

'This is not a proposal. This is a final rule, and it is effective immediately.'

Duffy held a press conference on Friday morning to announce "emergency action" aimed at ensuring safer roadways.

The DOT revealed the results of a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration audit, which found "systemic non-compliance" among state driver licensing agencies in California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, and Washington.

RELATED: Duffy threatens funding freeze for 3 states flouting English requirements for truck drivers

"This is not a proposal. This is a final rule, and it is effective immediately," Duffy said during the presser. "... Here's the bottom line: Non-citizens will not be eligible for a CDL unless they meet a much stricter set of rules. Second, all states must immediately pause the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs until they can comply with our new rules."

"My message is very simple," Duffy added. "Get into compliance now, or we'll pull funding and we'll force you into compliance."

The DOT described California as "the most egregious," citing that over 25% of the non-domiciled CDLs reviewed were improperly issued.

"The audit has uncovered both a catastrophic pattern of states issuing licenses illegally to foreign drivers, as well as the fact that even if the current regulatory framework is followed, it can fail. The confluence of these two factors have created an imminent hazard on America's roadways that must be fixed," read a DOT press release obtained by Blaze News.

The DOT attributed the issuance of a "large number" of non-domiciled CDLs to ineligible drivers to poor quality assurance, inadequate training, and programming errors. The department identified cases where licenses remained valid beyond the drivers' lawful presence in the United States.

RELATED: American trucking at a crossroads: Deadly crash involving illegal alien exposes true cost of Biden’s border invasion

Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images

The department presented four examples of California-issued CDLs with expiration dates extending beyond the work authorization periods of the respective foreign nationals. For instance, one set of images displayed a CDL with an expiration date of June 2030, issued to a foreign national whose work authorization expired in April 2022. Another photo showed a CDL with a June 2030 expiration date, issued to a foreign national whose work authorization ended in May 2021. In both cases, the licenses were issued several years after the individuals' work authorizations had lapsed.

As a result of the FMCSA's findings, the DOT declared a pause on California's issuance of non-domiciled CDLs, requiring the state to identify all unexpired licenses that fail to comply with regulations.

RELATED: Hidden phones, earpieces: Five non-English speakers arrested for alleged CDL cheating scheme

Photo by George Rose/Getty Images

The DOT issued an interim final rule to tighten eligibility requirements for non-domiciled commercial learner's permits and CDLs. Foreign nationals seeking these credentials must "meet a much stricter set of rules, including an employment-based visa and undergoing a mandatory federal immigration status check using the SAVE system."

Duffy warned in August that the department would pull federal funding from states that fail to comply with English language proficiency requirements for drivers. He noted at that time that California receives $30 million from the DOT.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!