New US Department of Transportation changes to commercial driver’s licenses already impacting California truck drivers

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) — Last week, Vivak Sharma went to the DMV to renew his trucking license. But he was denied. The problem is new rules surrounding the process.

As he explains in Hindi, he was told only green card holders and U.S. citizens can have their commercial trucking license renewed.

Sharma has been in the United States legally for the past 10 years, seeking political asylum. His final court case is next year. He has been driving a truck for the past eight years. But now he can’t.

When asked what comes next, Sharma says he is worried. Trucking paid well. The sudden stop in income means he won’t have money to send his family back in India. Now, he will have to start over.

The U.S. Department of Transportation issued emergency rules that requires the DMV to stop issuing commercial driver’s licenses, or CDLs, to drivers who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Even those with legal work visas, like Sharma, will be denied. It says it is doing so improve traffic safety and close loopholes in the law.

MORE: Trump administration to pause issuing visas for truck drivers; Port of Oakland to be impacted

“Here at the port. There are 32 languages spoken. So that gives you the diversity of people that are working the port. This is a tough business. Trucking is a tough business. So, we usually have minorities that come over here,” said Bill Aboudi, president of AB Trucking, an independent trucking company based at the Port of Oakland.

Aboudi said business has slowed down due to the tariffs. But even still, there is a shortage of drivers. One of his concerns is that the situation could evolve into what happened during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was a logjam of containers. We can’t deliver. We can’t service. The drivers fit everywhere. They deliver everything that you receive. And so, when you don’t have enough of them, everything just gets backed up,” Aboudi said.

The DOT is singling out California for what it calls “gross negligence.” It says more than 25% of CDLs given to noncitizens or non-permanent residents were improperly issued. California has until the end of the month to come into compliance or face losing millions in federal highway funding.