California DMV botches paperwork — now 20,000 truckers may lose their jobs

A judge orders DMV to let drivers reapply

An Alameda County judge ordered California’s DMV to let about 20,000 immigrant truck drivers reapply for commercial licenses set for cancellation.

Judge Karin Schwartz also told the DMV to reissue licenses to qualified drivers within a reasonable time and post reapplication details on its website. But the ruling left a gap.

It did not pause or delay the original March 6 deadline, so drivers could still temporarily lose their ability to work while the DMV sets up the new process.

These licenses let immigrants drive big rigs

A non-domiciled commercial driver’s license, or CDL, goes to someone who has legal work authorization in the U.S. but is not a permanent resident or citizen.

These licenses let holders drive semi-trucks, buses, delivery trucks, and other commercial vehicles. Before September 2025, applicants needed a valid work permit or a passport with an I-94 form showing legal entry.

California has about 700,000 total commercial license holders, and non-domiciled CDLs make up a small share of that total.

A computer glitch set the whole thing off

The trouble started with a federal audit. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) found that more than 25% of California’s sampled non-domiciled CDL records broke federal rules.

The DMV’s computer systems had miscalculated expiration dates, letting licenses stay valid after a driver’s work authorization ran out.

In some cases, licenses stretched years past the expiration of a driver’s legal documents.

The DMV also mistakenly gave non-domiciled licenses to citizens of Mexico and Canada, who do not qualify for them under federal rules.

Federal officials pushed California to cancel licenses

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy pressured California and other states to cancel non-compliant licenses after the audit results came in.

The push also followed several deadly highway crashes involving non-domiciled CDL holders, including one in Florida in August 2025 that killed three people.

The DMV sent 60-day cancellation notices to more than 20,000 drivers in fall 2025, with the original deadline set for Jan. 5, 2026.

California pushed back, and federal funds got cut

After lawsuits challenged the cancellations, California extended the deadline to March 6.

The Department of Transportation responded by withholding about $160 million in federal highway safety funds from the state.

The FMCSA then issued a final determination that California was in substantial noncompliance with federal CDL standards.

The Trump administration also threatened to decertify the state’s entire commercial licensing program if California did not comply, a move that would block the DMV from issuing any CDLs at all.

Drivers sued, saying they never got a fair chance

The Sikh Coalition, Asian Law Caucus, and the law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges filed a class-action lawsuit in December 2025.

They argued the DMV canceled licenses without giving drivers a chance to fix errors or challenge the decision.

The plaintiffs included school bus drivers and commercial truckers whose licenses were set to run through 2027.

Advocacy groups, including the Fresno-based Jakara Movement, urged the DMV to automatically correct the licenses instead of forcing drivers to reapply and pay new fees.

Sikh drivers bear much of the impact

Many of the affected drivers are Sikh asylum seekers from India’s Punjab region.

Sikh immigrants have deep roots in California’s Central Valley trucking industry, and many went into debt to break into the profession.

One Stockton trucking company reported losing close to $2 million in four months after about 35 of its drivers had their licenses canceled.

The group also includes DACA recipients, people with Temporary Protected Status, and other immigrants holding valid work permits.

California is stuck between two conflicting orders

State attorneys said the DMV landed in an impossible spot.

If California restores the licenses, it risks losing its authority to issue any commercial licenses at all. If it cancels them, it violates the state court order that requires a reapplication process.

California separately filed a federal lawsuit challenging the DOT’s funding threats and compliance demands, accusing federal regulators of constantly shifting their standards.

A new federal rule could block future renewals

On Feb. 13, the DOT published a final rule restricting non-domiciled CDLs to holders of H-2A, H-2B, or E-2 work visas only.

The rule takes effect March 16 and would make asylum seekers, refugees, DACA recipients, and TPS holders ineligible for these licenses going forward.

Even drivers who keep their current licenses under the court ruling may not be able to renew them once this rule kicks in. A legal challenge to the rule was filed in the D.C. Circuit on Feb. 12.

Unions and advocacy groups push to block the new rule

The AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Teachers, and consumer group Public Citizen filed suit to block the new federal rule.

The Sikh Coalition called the court ruling a key step toward economic security for immigrant drivers.

The Asian Law Caucus said drivers are still unfairly burdened while waiting for the DMV to set up its reapplication process.

On March 6, civil rights groups filed for an emergency order asking the DMV to pause the cancellations entirely, arguing the DMV has not given drivers a fair or clear path forward.

Supply chains already feel the strain

Immigrants make up about 20% of all truck drivers nationally, and the license dispute is already hitting shipping across California.

Trucking company owners report trucks sitting idle and mounting debt from loan and insurance payments on parked rigs.

The situation is moving fast, with the court ruling, the March 6 deadline, and the March 16 federal rule all stacking up within weeks of each other.

Multiple lawsuits will shape what comes next

The DMV must comply with the state court order while navigating federal threats.

Drivers whose work authorization matches or exceeds their license expiration date may have the clearest path to keeping their licenses.

For others, the new federal rule could permanently block them from holding a non-domiciled CDL. Multiple lawsuits at both the state and federal level could reshape the outcome in the coming weeks.

Drivers who hold non-domiciled CDLs in California can call the DMV at (916) 306-5153 for updates.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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• Feds Block California From Licensing Immigrant Truckers Despite Court Order
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