The U.S. Department of Transportation announced it has directed Illinois to halt issuance of non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) and revoke any noncompliant ones within 30 days—or risk losing $128 million in federal highway funding.
In a press release, the U.S. Department of Transportation said a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration audit found nearly one in five non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses issued by Illinois were improper, including those issued beyond the expiration of the driver’s lawful presence documents.Â
“Illinois failed to implement adequate controls, and the state must identify and revoke affected licenses to comply with federal rules,” the department said.
The action follows a preliminary determination of noncompliance after an audit found that Illinois failed to verify lawful presence when issuing these licenses. The issue affects approximately 10,088 unexpired CDLs granted to foreign nationals whose lawful presence had expired, revealing systemic verification failures in the state’s process. FreightWaves reported that this prompted a federal pause on all such licenses.Â
Concerns about safety have been raised nationally regarding drivers without valid credentials. According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform, fatal truck crashes in states like Indiana and Florida involved drivers with improper commercial credentials, often linked to lax state licensing for non-citizens.Â
“National data shows that 22.5 percent of fatal large truck crashes involved drivers without a valid commercial driver’s license. Stricter federal oversight is believed to be able to address these risks across the U.S.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation was established to coordinate national transportation policies and ensure safe, efficient systems. It oversees federal funding for highways and enforces safety standards for commercial vehicles. Under Republican leadership, it has prioritized restoring integrity to licensing programs.
