Over 20,000 immigrant truck drivers in California can retain their commercial licenses temporarily after a tentative Alameda County Superior Court decision, despite efforts by the Trump administration and California officials to revoke them.
The federal Department of Transportation pushed California’s DMV to rescind these licenses due to alleged clerical errors related to expiration dates, threatening to withhold $160 million in federal highway funds if the state did not comply.
The big picture: California DMV sent letters to affected drivers stating their licenses would expire within 60 days, but after a lawsuit from advocacy groups including the Asian Law Caucus and Sikh Coalition, expiration dates were extended to March 6.
- State attorneys argued the judge’s ruling could lead to further harm if the Trump administration follows through on threats to block California from issuing any commercial licenses, affecting up to 700,000 drivers statewide.
- The federal government also issued a February rule preventing states from renewing or issuing commercial licenses to certain immigrants, potentially impacting the same group of drivers; major unions and consumer groups are suing to halt this rule.
- Affected drivers, including many members of California’s Sikh community, said they were not given a fair chance to correct the alleged clerical issues and could lose significant investments in their livelihoods if licenses are revoked.
State of play: The ongoing shortage of truckers, especially among immigrant drivers, has already affected supply chains in California, raising freight costs by over 35% for some cross-country trips.
What we’re watching: The judge will issue a final decision soon, and California officials are working on a process to help the drivers comply with federal demands while safeguarding their ability to work.
- California is also suing the U.S. Department of Transportation to prevent loss of funding and preserve the state’s authority to issue trucking licenses in the future.
