ATA says California should answer for how driver in fatal Florida Turnpike crash obtained CDL
One of the nation’s largest trucking trade groups released a statement on Monday calling into question commercial driver’s licensing (CDL) standards in the wake of a high-profile triple fatality crash that occurred in Florida last week.
On August 18, the American Trucking Associations (ATA) spoke out about a crash that occurred on August 12, 2025, on the Florida Turnpike in St. Lucie County. Officials said that Harjinder Singh was operating a tractor trailer when he performed an illegal U-turn, resulting in a collision with a minivan that killed three people. Singh was charged with three counts of vehicular homicide.
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles later said that Singh “entered the United States illegally, having crossed the Mexico border in 2018” and “then obtained a Commercial Driver’s License in the state of California.”
ATA: Greater CDL Enforcement Is Needed
As the circumstances surrounding the crash draw nationwide interest, the ATA called on the state of California to explain how Singh “was able to obtain a commercial driver’s license in the first place.”
See full statement from the ATA’s Senior VP of Regulatory & Safety Policy Dan Horvath below:
“This is a horrific tragedy that should never have happened. While an investigation is underway, this driver’s blatant disregard for highway safety and the rules of the road makes clear he should never have been behind the wheel to begin with. Initial reports from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles that the driver was in the U.S. illegally only raise more questions about how and why he was able to obtain a commercial driver’s license in the first place — questions that the state of California must answer for.
This incident underscores the importance and urgency of the work that the Trump Administration is doing to audit CDL issuances nationwide, in addition to its enhanced enforcement of English language proficiency — a fundamental requirement for operating commercial vehicles in interstate commerce. ATA believes robust entry-level driver training standards are critically important to preventing accidents like this one, but we remain concerned that fraudulent and non-compliant entities continue to fast-track CDL applicants with minimal, if any, training — as emphasized in ATA’s April letter to FMCSA. Greater enforcement is needed, and we call on FMCSA to ensure unlicensed and unqualified entities are immediately removed from the training provider registry.”
On June 27, 2025, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced the launch of a nationwide audit into state policies for issuing non-domiciled CDLs, “specifically reviewing the potential for unqualified individuals obtaining licenses and posing a hazard on our roads.”
As part of the August 18 statement, the ATA also pointed to an April 2025 letter sent to Duffy supporting increased enforcement of English Language Proficiency standards for commercial vehicle drivers.
Duffy: Serious Red Flags In How States Dole Out CDLs
Duffy recently responded to questions over CDL standards in the wake of the fatal crash with a statement on social media:
“This is exactly why in June I announced a nationwide audit of non-domiciled CDLs! Joe Biden’s reckless immigration policies allowed many unqualified foreign drivers on our roads who have no business operating a 40-ton truck. This is only one of many tragic accidents that should never have happened. Our investigators have already uncovered serious red flags in how states are doling out these CDLs. We’ll have more to share in the coming weeks.“