Republicans demand probe of trucker licensing ‘mills’ after deadly crashes with illegal immigrant drivers

WASHINGTON — A pair of Republican lawmakers urged Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy Tuesday to investigate programs that churn out commercial driver’s licenses (CDL) following a pair of fatal crashes involving illegal immigrant operators.

Duffy took steps last month to crack down on CDL distribution to foreign drivers, but Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) warned in a letter to the secretary that there are other abuses plaguing so-called “CDL mills.”

“CDL mills are substandard training programs that offer quick credentials, and recent incidents and reports indicate these mills are prioritizing volume over proper safety and training requirements,” wrote Cotton and Barr, arguing that the programs are taking advantage of federal regulations and producing “minimally trained drivers with little regard for real-world proficiency.”

“These operations offer rushed, test-focused courses with little to no hands-on experience, leaving new entrants ill-equipped to handle the real-world demands of interstate trucking,” they added.

“This probe should rigorously assess whether CDL training programs are upholding ELDT [Entry-Level Driver Training] standards, particularly with behind-the-wheel training, pre-trip inspections, and on-road proficiency.”

The letter comes days after Cotton and Barr rolled out the Secure Commercial Driver Licensing Act of 2025 to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining CDLs

That law was inspired by the August arrest of Harjinder Singh, an illegal immigrant from India who allegedly caused an accident by attempting an illegal U-turn with an 18-wheeler through an “Official Use Only” zone, killing three people in Fort Pierce, Fla.

According to investigators with the Florida Attorney General’s Office, the Washington state company that trained Singh to get his CDL attested that he could speak English, even though he struggled to do so proficiently.

Singh received a CDL from Washington state despite failing his knowledge exam 10 times between March 10, 2023, and May 5, 2023.

The driver subsequently received a CDL from California, where more than a quarter of such licenses issued to foreigners were determined to have been done so improperly, according to the Department of Transportation.

One week before Cotton and Barr sent their letter, Jashanpreet Singh, another illegal immigrant driver from India, allegedly crashed his semi-truck into slow-moving traffic on Interstate 10 in San Bernardino County, Calif., while under the influence of drugs, killing three people and injuring at least four others.

The Secure Commercial Driver Licensing Act of 2025 would mandate that all testing to get a CDL be conducted in English and give the Transportation Secretary the power to revoke a state’s authority to issue CDLs to foreigners.

Duffy had taken emergency action last month to clamp down on foreigners’ ability to obtain CDLs and threatened to freeze funding for California if it failed to take corrective measures within a month.

“While Congress works to pass the legislation, we strongly encourage DOT to use its rulemaking authority to make further changes like mandatory training hours behind the wheel for CDLs,” Cotton and Barr added.

The Post reached out to the Department of Transportation for comment.