1 in 5 Non-Domiciled Commercial Driver’s Licenses in Illinois Issued Illegally: DOT

The department threatened to cut $128 million in funding if Illinois does not resolve the issue.

Trucks drive through the Port of Oakland, Calif., on Nov, 14, 2025. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration review of Illinois’ non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDL) found that almost one in every five was issued illegally, according to a Feb. 17 statement by the Department of Transportation.

Non-domiciled refers to foreign nationals living in the United States who have a legal home in other countries. “Illinois has 30 days to come into compliance and revoke the illegally issued licenses—or risk losing $128 million in federal highway funding,” the department said. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is part of the Transportation Department (DOT).

The department asked Illinois authorities to take corrective measures to prevent the funds from getting blocked. The state must “immediately pause” the issue of non-domiciled CDLs and identify unexpired licenses that are not in compliance with regulations, DOT said.

The Trump administration’s crackdown on unqualified truck drivers comes amid several cases of illegal immigrants being involved in truck-related accidents.

In August, an illegal immigrant truck driver was accused of causing a crash that ended up killing three people in Florida. That same month, another illegal immigrant was arrested after his truck caused an accident in June that led to a 5-year-old girl suffering critical injuries.

This month, an illegal immigrant from Kyrgyzstan was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after his truck hit a van, killing four in Indiana.

According to the DOT statement, Illinois must conduct a comprehensive internal audit to identify procedural errors in its CDL issue process. The state has to track down problems with training and quality assurance, and other issues leading to the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs that failed to meet federal regulations.

“I need our state partners to understand that they work for the American people, not illegal immigrants who broke the law illegally entering our country and continue to break it by operating massive big rigs without the proper qualifications,” Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said.

In a Feb. 17 letter to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Kevin Duesterhaus, director of driver services at the Office of the Illinois Secretary of State, FMCSA Administrator Derek D. Barrs informed them that the state has failed to meet requirements for issuing non-domiciled commercial learner’s permits (CLPs) and CDLs.

According to the letter, the secretary of State’s office informed FMCSA during the state’s 2025 Annual Program Review that Illinois had issued 10,088 non-domiciled CLPs or CDLs.

FMCSA analyzed a sample of 150 drivers’ records who were issued the CDLs, finding that 29 of these records failed to comply with licensing standards, the letter said. The review “uncovered evidence of systemic policy, procedural, and programming errors.”

Out of the 29 records, FMCSA found that in 14 cases, a non-domiciled CDL was issued “that exceeded the expiration date of the driver’s lawful presence documents,” Barrs wrote.

In the remaining 15 cases, permits or licenses were issued but no proof was provided to show the drivers’ lawful presence in the United States had been verified, the letter said.

The Epoch Times reached out to the office of Gov. Pritzker for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

Illegal CDLs Across States

Several other states have also been identified as having issued illegal CDLs to foreigners.

On Jan. 8, DOT announced that 54 percent of North Carolina’s non-domiciled CDLs reviewed by the FMCSA were issued illegally. The department threatened to withhold almost $50 million in federal funding if the state failed to revoke these licenses.

In December, DOT threatened to cut $24 million in federal highway funds for Colorado for “slow walking a purge of illegally issued truck licenses.” A nationwide audit conducted in October found that around 22 percent of the state’s non-domiciled CDLs were issued illegally.

Also in December, California sued the Trump administration after DOT withheld $33 million in federal funding over the state’s alleged failure to comply with English language proficiency requirements for truckers.

California said in the lawsuit that it does enforce English-language rules for commercial drivers. It accused the DOT action of being “arbitrary and capricious, an abuse of discretion“ and illegal; also that it could ”wreak significant economic damage.”

On Dec. 30, California said that it would delay a planned revocation of 17,000 illegally issued CDLs in the state until March, drawing criticism from Duffy.

But Steve Gordon, director of California’s Department of Motor Vehicles, said: “Commercial drivers are an important part of our economy—our supply chains don’t move, and our communities don’t stay connected without them.”

On Feb. 6, DOT announced that almost 2,000 truck drivers deemed unqualified to drive on U.S roads have been removed from service.

The action came as part of the first wave of Operation SafeDRIVE, an enforcement effort focused on ensuring that drivers are properly qualified and addressing the issue of unsafe drivers.