DOT threatens Colorado on non-domiciled CDLs; Sikh group sues California

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the state of Colorado will lose $24 million in federal highway funds if it does not speed the purging of illegally issued non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses. 

“It’s been nearly two months since Colorado admitted that they knowingly broke the law and gave Mexican nationals trucking licenses, said Duffy. “Colorado has two options: revoke the licenses immediately, or I will pull federal funding.”

A DOT press release said the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s audit found about 22% of Colorado non-domiciled CDLs were issued illegally. Many of these licenses were issued to Mexican nationals, which is prohibited under federal regulations, DOT said. 

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) told the Associated Press that the state had finished its investigation and was conducting a final review before sending out letters to CDL holders. 

Like many other states, Colorado’s Division of Motor Vehicles has paused the issuance and renewal of non-domiciled CDLs and commercial learner’s permits.

Class-action lawsuit targets California for canceling CDLs

In a separate development, a class-action lawsuit was filed against California for canceling 17,000 non-domiciled CDLs after pressure from the U.S. DOT.

The Sikh Coalition and Asian Law Caucus filed the lawsuit to halt the California Department of Motor Vehicles’ cancellations of these CDLs. The state has attempted to reissue some non-domiciled CDLs but FMCSA reportedly intervened before the program could relaunch. 

“The California drivers facing license cancellations comply with a host of federal and state regulations, including regular renewals of their licenses and work authorization allowed under immigration law,” the Sikh Coalition said.