Bill would establish fines for trucking companies that knowingly hire unqualified drivers

A bill recently introduced in Congress seeks to tighten Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) rules for non-resident drivers, states, and trucking companies.

Rep. Calls Out ‘Sanctuary States’ For Issuing CDLs To Unqualified Drivers

On November 14, 2025, U.S. Rep. Jefferson Van Drew introduced the No CDLs for Illegals Act in response to recent fatality crashes involving truck drivers who were in the U.S. illegally.

“People are dying because sanctuary states are handing out CDLs to illegal immigrants who should not be behind the wheel of tractor-trailers,” said Van Drew. “These trucks can weigh more than 80,000 pounds. They take real training, real skill, and the ability to speak and understand English to drive safely. If a driver cannot read road signs or understand warnings from other truckers, everyone on the road is in danger. When states allow this, it does not just hurt the people in their own state. These trucks travel across the country every day, and it is the rest of America that ends up paying the price. If states refuse to follow the rules, then they should lose every dime of federal transportation funding until they comply. The law exists to protect our citizens, and too many families have already paid the price for this reckless disregard of it.”

Bill To Create Fines For Trucking Companies, Consequences For Non-Compliant States

If passed, Van Drew’s bill would require the U.S. Transportation Secretary to draft regulations that would create monetary fines for trucking companies that knowingly hire drivers who do not hold valid CDLs.

The bill would also require that CDL applicants present valid documentation proving citizenship status, lawful permanent resident status, or a valid work authorization as well as proof of domicile in the state where the CDL is issued.

Van Drew’s bill would also restrict states from issuing CDLs to individuals who are not domiciled within the state. States would also be required to verify a CDL applicant’s lawful immigration status using the SAVE System, a federal immigration database. States that fail to comply would be subject to loss of transportation funding.

The No CDLs for Illegals Act is the latest in a long list of bills introduced this year seeking to tighten CDL requirements for non-citizen drivers and to create consequences for states that fail to comply with federal CDL and English Language Proficiency standards.