Under Trump’s Direction, DOT Moves to Bar Unvetted Foreign Drivers From U.S. Trucking Industry

The Trump administration finalized a major safety reform on Wednesday that blocks unvetted foreign nationals from obtaining commercial driver’s licenses, ending a system that allowed tens of thousands of drivers with unknown or dangerous histories to legally operate heavy trucks and buses in the United States. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said the rule “ends a safety loophole that has wreaked havoc on our roadways.”

Secretary Duffy unveiled a sweeping new federal rule aimed at shutting down a long‑standing safety loophole that allowed unqualified foreign nationals to obtain commercial driver’s licenses in the United States. The rule, issued under President Donald Trump’s direction, bars states from licensing truck and bus drivers whose driving histories cannot be verified through consular or interagency screening—closing a gap federal officials say has put dangerous, unvetted drivers behind the wheel of 80,000‑pound commercial vehicles and contributed to a series of deadly crashes nationwide.

“For far too long, America has allowed dangerous foreign drivers to abuse our truck licensing systems – wreaking havoc on our roadways. This safety loophole ends today,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in Wednesday’s announcement. “Moving forward, unqualified foreign drivers will be unable to get a license to operate an 80,000-pound big rig. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are putting the safety of the driving public first. From enforcing English language standards to holding fraudulent carriers accountable, we will continue to attack this crisis on our roads head-on.”

This is for Dalilah Coleman and all the Americans killed or hurt in crashes caused by UNQUALIFIED foreign truck drivers.

These trucker drivers should NEVER have received a commercial driver’s license. And this rule makes sure that it won’t happen again. @POTUS and I are… https://t.co/FYOZUkVxOy

— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) February 11, 2026

DOT officials say the reforms address safety concerns raised following a series of fatal crashes involving non-domiciled CDL truck drivers. The new rule will enable consular and interagency screening to stop non-qualified drivers from obtaining or maintaining commercial driving permits. (Read more from “Under Trump’s Direction, DOT Moves to Bar Unvetted Foreign Drivers From U.S. Trucking Industry” HERE)