U.S. stops issuing visas for commercial truck drivers, effective immediately, feds say
Federal authorities say that the U.S. is no longer issuing worker visas for commercial truck drivers amid nationwide scrutiny of a fatal crash in Florida involving a non-citizen truck driver.
Trump Administration Halts New Work Visas For Truck Drivers
On August 21, 2025, Trump Administration Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced immediate action on work visas for commercial vehicle drivers:
“Effective immediately we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers. The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers.”
Effective immediately we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers.
The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) August 21, 2025
Rubio did not provide information on how long the pause on new worker visas might last.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has also promised to take action to stop non-citizen drivers from obtaining commercial driver’s licenses.
What Is Trucking Saying About Visa Pause?
Trucking trade groups praised the Trump Administration for pausing the work visas.
“Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) applauds the Administration for seeing through the myth of a truck driver shortage and continuing efforts to restore commonsense safety standards on our nation’s highways. Pausing visas for commercial truck drivers will help ensure only qualified individuals get licensed. Additionally, there is unlikely to be any negative effect on the supply chain, as the trucking industry continues to face overcapacity. The misuse of visa programs along with the rise of non-domiciled CDL holders in recent years has fueled a flood of drivers into our country who struggle to operate safely in full compliance with regulations. Earlier this week, OOIDA called on U.S. DOT and states to immediately suspend non-domiciled CDL programs. We are working with the Administration and Congress on implementing more comprehensive licensing and training standards that will prevent unsafe drivers from ever getting behind the wheel,” Todd Spencer, president of OOIDA.
“ATA supports pausing work visas for commercial drivers and believes the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs needs serious scrutiny, including the enforcement of entry-level driver training standards. At a minimum, we need better accounting of how many non-domiciled CDLs are being issued, which is why we applaud Transportation Secretary Duffy for launching a nationwide audit in June upon our request. We also believe a surge in enforcement of key regulations — including motor carrier compliance — is necessary to prevent bad actors from operating on our nation’s highways, and we’ll continue to partner with federal and state authorities to identify where those gaps in enforcement exist,” said American Trucking Associations (ATA) President and CEO Chris Spear.
Fallout From Florida Turnpike Crash Continues
The move to halt visas for truck drivers comes amid uproar over an August 12 crash on the Florida Turnpike during which Harjinder Singh allegedly performed an illegal U-turn that resulted in a collision that killed three people. He was charged with three counts of vehicular homicide.
Since the crash, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) have been investigating how Singh was able to obtain a CDL without legal citizenship status. Officials have pointed blame towards Washington State and New Mexico for failing to uphold FMCSA rules with regard to Singh.
USDOT reported that Singh failed an FMCSA English Language Proficiency test conducted after the crash.
Singh was arrested days after the crash in California. Florida officials have since taken custody of Singh.
A nationwide USDOT audit into state policies for issuing non-domiciled CDLs was launched in late June 2025 and is currently underway, “specifically reviewing the potential for unqualified individuals obtaining licenses and posing a hazard on our roads.”