US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Wednesday announced a new federal rule designed to bar unqualified foreign drivers from obtaining licenses to operate commercial trucks and buses, calling the change a critical step to protect motorists from safety risks on the nation’s highways.
The rule, issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), tightens eligibility standards for foreign applicants seeking commercial driver’s licenses, or CDLs. Under the measure, only holders of specific nonimmigrant visas—such as H-2A, H-2B, and E-2—who have undergone enhanced interagency vetting will qualify. The rule also eliminates the use of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) as proof of eligibility, citing widespread noncompliance by state licensing offices. Instead, applicants must present an unexpired foreign passport and Form I-94 documentation verifying their lawful status.
In addition, the rule requires every state driver’s licensing agency to use the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database to confirm the lawful status of each CDL applicant. Officials said the change closes a long-standing loophole that allowed some foreign drivers with unverified or dangerous records to acquire U.S. trucking licenses by using documents that were never meant for transportation safety screening.
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,” Secretary Duffy said in a statement. “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.”
FMCSA Administrator Derek D. Barrs called the reform a necessary fix to “a critical safety gap” that allowed non‑domiciled drivers with unknown driving histories to receive CDLs. “If we cannot verify your safe driving history, you cannot hold a CDL in this country,” Barrs said.
Transportation officials pointed to a series of deadly accidents in 2025 involving non‑domiciled commercial drivers as motivation for the rule. These included multi-fatality crashes in Wyoming, Florida, and California, as well as a fatal collision at a train crossing in Ontario, California.
The final rule will take effect 30 days after its publication in the Federal Register and follows an earlier emergency order issued by Secretary Duffy to halt the issuance of CDLs to drivers with unverified histories. The rule also supports President Trump’s executive actions emphasizing highway safety and enforcement of English‑language proficiency requirements for commercial vehicle operators. The Department of Transportation said the measure was part of a broader national effort to restore integrity to the commercial licensing system following audits that uncovered systemic noncompliance across several states.