USDOT accuses ‘radical’ states of trying to protect unqualified truck drivers from federal enforcement
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy fired back after a coalition of states filed a lawsuit over access to a database containing the personal data of millions of commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders.
States Sue USDOT Over Access To CDL Driver Data
On August 13, 21 states and the District of Columbia filed suit against the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after the agencies demanded access to the Commercial Driver’s License Information System (CDLIS) by August 17 under the threat of loss of federal funding.
The CDLIS contains information including the driver’s name, date of birth, Social Security number, driver’s license number, and the name of state that provided the record.
The states argued that giving federal agencies access to the CDLIS violated the privacy rights of millions of CDL holders. States also said that withholding federal funding over access to the database threatened the ability of State Driver’s Licensing Agencies to administer CDL programs in compliance with federal requirements.
USDOT Will “Fight Lawsuit Tooth And Nail”
Duffy responded to the lawsuit on Thursday, calling it a “radical legal effort” to “block the federal government from accessing data it needs to keep America’s roads free of dangerous illegal immigrant truck drivers.”
Duffy said that the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA), a private non-profit group that maintains the CDLIS, is “contractually and legally obligated to furnish the requested records at FMCSA’s direction, with federal protection against state-level liability.”
“Every administration since 1988 has had access to this basic database, so let’s be clear on what this ridiculous lawsuit is really all about. These radical state AGs want to make it harder for my Department to enforce the rules of the road and easier for dangerous illegal immigrant truck drivers to operate a big rig,” said Duffy. “They may not care about keeping you and your family safe, but President Trump and I do. We will fight this lawsuit tooth and nail to prevent more senseless crashes by unqualified drivers.”
Duffy pointed to accomplishments in CDL and English Language Proficiency enforcement achieved since April 2025, including:
- Revoked over 30,000 illegally issued commercial driver’s licenses across non-compliant states.
- Removed nearly 10,000 fraudulent or unqualified CDL training providers from the federal registry.
- Enforced strict English Language Proficiency standards, placing over 26,000 non-compliant operators out of service to ensure every driver on American highways can read road signs and communicate with law enforcement.
- Closed the non-domiciled CDL loophole, cutting off unvetted foreign operators tied to dozens of fatal crashes.
The lawsuit was filed by Attorneys General from the following states/districts:
- California
- Connecticut
- Colorado
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- Oregon
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- Wisconsin
- The state of Pennsylvania