DONALD TRUMP administration has canceled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) held by more than 28,000 immigrant truckers while launching a program to replace them with military veterans, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Tuesday (4).
According to a press release, the administration canceled the CDLs of 24,000 non-citizens who could not speak or read English proficiently. It also said it had worked with states to shut down 9,500 driving schools that helped these truckers drive in the US.
The move is expected to affect Indian immigrants, with nearly 130,000 to 150,000 truck drivers in the US coming directly from Punjab and Haryana, according to North American Punjabi Truckers Association data cited by the Indian Express.
The administration said the action is part of a wider crackdown on immigrant truckers that intensified after an August 2025 crash in Florida, when a truck driver made an illegal U-turn that killed three people.
The US transportation department then began enforcing existing English-language requirements for truckers. Transportation secretary Sean Duffy said the driver, who was from India, should never have been issued a license. Since then, 26,000 drivers have been removed from the road for failing to demonstrate adequate English proficiency. The federal government has also sought to withhold millions of dollars in highway funding from California and New York over alleged non-compliance in revoking more licenses, while Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and North Carolina have also received warnings.
The new Freedom Haulers campaign allows veterans who drove large military vehicles to skip the required commercial driver’s license skills test.
“The initiative builds on president Trump’s efforts to clean up America’s roadways, crack down on dangerous foreign drivers, and support American truckers,” the transportation department said.
“Illegal immigrants who can’t speak our language have no business getting behind the wheel of a big rig. Veterans – who have already demonstrated the grit, discipline, and skills to take on this vital task – are the right people for the job,” Duffy said. He added the campaign would help veterans get their licenses faster and “start making real money in record time.”
Receiving a memento during the BITS Pilani Convocation 2026BITS