Texas’ vast road network is one of the largest logistics and transport networks in the United States. This state is essential to the supply chain and relies heavily on a workforce of truck drivers. However, a number of fatal accidents over the past year have uncovered a web of irregularities that has prompted the Texas Department of Public Safety to abruptly suspend the issuance of certain driving licences.
These are commercial driving licences for non-citizens, in immediate response to a federal emergency order. We explain what these special licences are, why the Texas Department of Public Safety has suspended their issuance, and what will happen to all these truck drivers.
Non-domiciled CDLs
These are commercial driving licences issued by a US state to individuals who do not have their residence–or domicile–within the country. They allow individuals with a visa to work in the United States to operate large commercial vehicles. This licence must be visibly marked “non-domiciled” in accordance with federal regulations.
This type of licence was a legal way for many non-citizens to have a form of employment, provided they had employment authorisation documents. This includes recipients of the programme here, refugees, and people who had been granted asylum or had other temporary status. They were federally authorised to work in the logistics and transport sector.
These non-resident but legally licensed truck drivers represent about 3% of all licences issued in Texas. Of the 220,430 CD L licences issued in Texas last year, 6,265 were classified as non-resident.
A truck driving license irregularity
The decision was not made exclusively by Texas, but was a direct response to the Interim Emergency Final Rule issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The FMCSA had found irregularities that cast doubt on the legitimacy of many of these driving licences. During a national audit, it was discovered that several states were issuing licences incorrectly. The worst case was California, where 25% of non-resident CDLs were found to have been issued in violation of regulations: they often had expiry dates that extended far beyond the driver’s legal status of permanence in the United States.
Then, safety incidents began to appear. Since January 2025, there have been five fatal accidents involving holders of non-resident truck driving licences. These five accidents, which resulted in 12 deaths and 15 injuries, were enough to prompt immediate action.
The new federal rule limits the eligibility of non-resident CDLs to citizens with visas such as H-2A, H-2B, and E-2. From now on, groups such as DACA recipients, refugees, and asylum seekers will be excluded.
The truck driver limbo in Texas
Texas was quick to comply with the federal mandate. On 9 September 2025, the DPS announced that it would suspend resignations and renewals for excluded groups. Although currently valid licences would remain valid, the impossibility of future renewal creates an employment expiry date for thousands of drivers. This leaves thousands of workers in limbo, knowing that they will not be able to continue earning a living as drivers in the medium to long term.
This has meant that entire families who depend on this income have seen their future threatened overnight. Supply chains also fear what will happen when these licences expire. The shortage of personnel in a state that needs so many transporters is a concern for all freight transport chains. The lack of drivers will lead to increased operating costs and cause significant delays in the delivery of products throughout the state.
Apart from this, Governor Abbott had also ordered the DPS to strictly enforce English language proficiency requirements for all commercial vehicle operators. It is not too much to ask that a driver transporting goods be able to communicate relatively fluently with the authorities when the time comes. Although there will be times when the supply chain will lose drivers, this is the perfect opportunity to raise wages and try to make the job more attractive to American workers.