California keeps messing around with CDLs
I’ve been telling you this for a minute: if you keep handing out commercial driver’s licenses to people who can’t pass the English requirement, eventually DOT is going to smack you. That smack just landed.
At the end of September the feds told every state, “stop issuing or upgrading CDLs for foreign drivers who don’t meet the new English and status rules.” California said, “we’re compliant.” Then California upgraded the CDL of the guy who’s now accused of killing three people six days later. That’s why DOT is hot.
Related Post
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy (yeah, the guy Newsom is mad at) went on Fox and said it plain: “Had Gavin followed our rules… three more people would be alive.” That’s the core of this whole story. The feds set the guidance, the states issue the licenses, and California didn’t do the part only California can do.
The money part people are sleeping on
Here’s the real pain: DOT already held back $40–$40.6 million from California over failure to actually enforce the English-proficiency piece in roadside inspections. That’s not a theory — that’s what Reuters and AP are reporting. And DOT told them there’s another ~$160 million coming off the table if they don’t fix it. That’s $200M-ish for one state over one issue. Reuters
AP even pointed out the part California really can’t explain: since the rule went into effect in June, they did 34,000+ inspections and only put ONE driver out of service for English. One. And this is the same state other states keep catching for drivers who can’t speak or read English. That’s why DOT is saying “you’re not actually doing the check.” AP News
California’s pushback is, “hey, the feds gave him a work authorization, so it’s not our fault.” That’s cute, but it ducks the key fact: FMCSA rules still say a commercial driver has to be able to read and understand traffic signs in English and respond to officials. That’s 49 CFR 391.11 — the rule didn’t vanish because somebody got a work permit. fmcsa.dot.gov
The Arkansas video proved the point
Then that Arkansas Highway Police video hit — driver out of California, parked where he can’t park, can’t read “trucks over 10,000 must enter,” can’t explain where he’s going, and the trooper is literally telling him to put pants on. That’s not “internet rage,” that’s exactly the scenario DOT has been describing: 80,000 lb trucks in the hands of people who can’t do the minimum English part. YouTube
So when California says “the media is overblowing it,” DOT and every trucker who saw that video can just point and go, “This. This is what we’re talking about.” And it’s worse because, as trucking outlets have reported, some California officers were downgrading to Level 2 inspections when a driver couldn’t communicate — because they didn’t feel safe getting under the truck. That is the opposite of what FMCSA intended. The rule says: if they can’t speak/read, they’re not qualified. AP News
Why DOT can threaten de-certification
People hear “de-certify California” and think it’s bluster. It’s not. Here’s how this works:
- FMCSA sets the floor for CDL standards nationally. fmcsa.dot.gov
- States agree to follow those standards to stay in the CDL program.
- If a state keeps ignoring it — especially after a fatal crash tied to that failure — DOT can pull money, then pull more money, and then say the state’s CDL program isn’t compliant. Reuters
And Duffy said the quiet part out loud: “I don’t want to take their money, but we will.” That means they’re done asking nicely.
If California got de-certified, every carrier in the country would start asking, “Is this California CDL even good?” You’d see law-abiding California truckers rushing to Nevada or Arizona to re-test just so they don’t get caught in the splash. That’s exactly what I said in the video — it punishes good drivers because the state wanted to play politics with licensing. AP News
The political piece no one in Sacramento wants to say
Newsom’s line is: “Federal government approved and renewed this individual’s work authorization; we just followed federal law.” DOT’s line is: “We set the eligibility rules for CDLs; you issued the license anyway.” Those two statements can’t both be the boss. And right now the boss is the guy holding $200 million. California can tweet, but DOT can yank checks. Reuters
And yeah — this is now a 2026-election-level problem for Newsom. You can survive a DMV backlog. You can’t survive “three people died because my state ignored a federal safety order.” That’s the headline. That’s what the national shows are already running with.
Why truckers are mad (and right to be)
This isn’t about hating on immigrants — plenty of immigrant drivers are absolute pros. This is about standards. If I gotta read “NO PARKING” and “SCALE AHEAD — TRUCKS OVER 10,000 MUST ENTER” and talk to an officer in the language the state uses, then everybody has to. When you start making exceptions because a governor wants to look “welcoming,” you stop doing trucking safety and you start doing politics with 40-ton vehicles.
Sources used in this report
- U.S. DOT / Fox News interview with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on California breaking CDL rules and risk of losing another $160 million.
- Reuters: “Trump withholds $40.6 million from California over truck driver English rules,” published mid-October 2025. Reuters
- AP News: “Federal government to withhold $40M from California for not enforcing trucker English requirements,” also mid-October 2025. AP News
- FMCSA, 49 CFR §391.11 — English-language requirement for CMV drivers. fmcsa.dot.gov
- Arkansas Highway Police viral stop of a California CDL driver who could not read multiple signs; widely circulated via trucking creators and cable news. YouTube
