DOT Finds California Illegally Issued CDL to Migrant Truck Driver Causing Fatal Crash

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has released a report blaming California's failure to comply with new federal rules on non-domiciled Commercial Driver's Licenses (CDLs) for a fatal crash that killed three people and injured two others. The driver, Jashanpreet Singh, an Indian national and asylum seeker, was issued and later upgraded a CDL by California despite federal mandates issued by Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy to pause such licenses and revoke improperly issued ones, following an audit that found significant compliance failures in the state's licensing process. Singh, who was under the influence of drugs at the time, caused the crash on October 21, 2025, shortly after California ignored the September 26 emergency rulemaking aimed at purging non-compliant drivers. Secretary Duffy condemned California Governor Gavin Newsom's administration for breaking the law, emphasizing that adherence to the federal rules could have prevented the tragedy. The DOT ordered California to identify and revoke all noncompliant non-domiciled CDLs, but the state failed to do so, prompting the federal government to pull funding and threaten consequences. This incident underscores ongoing concerns about illegal migrant truckers operating commercial vehicles without meeting federal safety and language proficiency standards.