Ohio Cracks Down on CDLs for Foreign-Born Drivers

Amid federal scrutiny and concerns about commercial drivers licenses being in the hands of unqualified drivers, Ohio is cracking down on CDLs for those drivers not born in the United States. The CDLs of 1,200 foreign-born drivers will be downgraded to a Class D by the state for failing to adequately meet standards proving they are in the United States legally.

Ohio Department of Public Safety spokesman Bret Crow confirmed the downgrade to The Center Square last week. “Those receiving this notice who believe their documents do meet the updated federal standards may request a hearing with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to dispute the downgrade and/or submit additional documentation to BMV to prove their eligibility,” he said.

Late last month, the Ohio BMV announced in a press release it was contacting approximately 5,000 non-domiciled CDL holders to inquire whether they were complying with new federal regulations imposed last September.

“A non-domiciled CDL is a federally authorized U.S. commercial driver license issued to an individual who has legal presence and is legally authorized to work in the United States but is not a permanent resident. In September 2025, FMCSA updated its eligibility requirements for existing non-domiciled CDLs, limiting who qualifies for this credential,” the BMV explained.

The BMV also included an important note about rule updates from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

“The Ohio BMV has not issued or renewed any non-domiciled CDL credentials since FMCSA updated its rules in September 2025. The Ohio BMV does not intend to resume issuing new non-domiciled CDLs in the future nor will it renew any revalidated non-domiciled CDLs after they expire,” the press release added.

Deadly crashes caused by foreign-born CDL holders have caused a stir in Ohio and around the country, especially when it comes to drivers in more liberal states, like California, being able to take their test in languages other than English.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted about the news to X on Tuesday via an animated video and coverage from Cincinnati.com.

Duffy also promised more is coming. “Get ready, more crackdowns to come!”

Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, shared that same article from Cincinnati.com, thanking and tagging Republican Gov. Mike DeWine in his post as well.

He also promoted his co-sponsorship of the Secure Commercial Driver Licensing Act, reposting a video he released in March calling for the act’s passage.

Stories about foreign-born drivers are not new to Ohioans.

In late April, Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, called attention to one such deadly crash involving Modou Ngom, who earlier that month allegedly triggered a chain-reaction crash that killed three people, including a 1-year-old child, on I-71 in Delaware County. 

Moreno described Ngom—who also used the alias of Lamine Gaye—as “an illegal immigrant who entered the country unlawfully, falsified his identity, lied to immigration officials to achieve naturalization, fraudulently obtained a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), and established a trucking company on false pretenses.”

Late last month, Ngom’s attorneys sought to dismiss the case, a motion opposed by prosecutors.

Both Moreno and Duffy have called out the Biden administration for the amount of illegal immigrants that poured across our border, with Duffy noting in February that “our trucking industry is still paying the price.”

“When the federal government turns a blind eye and fails to police its own borders, it is innocent American families on Ohio roads who pay the ultimate price. It is no surprise to me that this man was not apprehended under the Biden Administration. Nonetheless, lessons must be learned from this preventable tragedy,” Moreno wrote about Ngom in his April letter to the Department of Transportation.

At the federal level, Duffy has called for the passage of Dalilah’s law, which, similar to the bill cosponsored by Husted, would bar illegal immigrants and non-English speakers from receiving CDLs.