On August 21, 2025, the United States government abruptly halted the issuance of all worker visas for commercial truck drivers, a move that has sent shockwaves through the trucking industry, immigrant communities, and political circles nationwide. The decision, announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, came in the immediate aftermath of a devastating highway crash in Florida involving Harjinder Singh, an Indian national, that left three people dead and reignited fierce debate over the safety and regulation of foreign drivers on American roads.
"The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers," Rubio declared in a widely shared post on X, formerly Twitter. He added, "Effective immediately we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers." According to AFP and Reuters, this high-profile move follows a string of fatal incidents that have put English language proficiency and licensing enforcement in the national spotlight.
The catalyst for this sweeping policy change was the case of Harjinder Singh, who, according to the Florida Highway Patrol, made an illegal U-turn on a Florida highway roughly 80 kilometers north of West Palm Beach. Singh’s maneuver, attempting to cross through an “Official Use Only” access point, blocked traffic and led to a minivan slamming into his truck’s trailer. The collision killed three people in the minivan, while Singh and his passenger emerged unscathed. Authorities revealed that Singh had entered the United States illegally from Mexico and, crucially, failed an English proficiency test administered after the crash. He now faces three state counts of vehicular homicide and immigration violations, and federal officials have requested his transfer to ICE custody once his criminal case concludes.
Florida officials, with the cooperation of California authorities, took custody of Singh in California and returned him to Florida to face charges. The incident has quickly become a flashpoint for broader concerns about non-English-speaking drivers and the enforcement of longstanding safety regulations. As Overdrive and CCJ Digital reported, White Hawk Carriers Inc.—the company that employed Singh—has since been shut down by federal authorities. An investigation by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) found that both Washington State and New Mexico had violated FMCSA rules in granting Singh his commercial driver’s license.
Duffy, in a scathing statement, said, "If states had followed the rules, this driver would never have been behind the wheel and three precious lives would still be with us. This crash was a preventable tragedy directly caused by reckless decisions and compounded by despicable failures." He further denounced what he called "non-enforcement and radical immigration policies" for turning the trucking industry into a "lawless frontier."
While the English-proficiency requirement for commercial drivers has been a part of U.S. law for years, enforcement has been patchy. In April 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing authorities to strictly enforce the rule, reversing Obama-era guidance from 2016 that had discouraged inspectors from putting drivers out of service solely for failing English proficiency. The Trump administration, as reported by Reuters, has since taken a series of steps to address the issue, including launching a nationwide audit of non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) and enforcing entry-level driver training standards. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) also updated its North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria in June to include English Language Proficiency (ELP) non-compliance.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been clear about the stakes: "Failing to adequately enforce driver qualification standards poses serious safety concerns and increases the likelihood of crashes." The FMCSA’s investigation into the Florida tragedy is just one of several probes into accidents involving drivers who lacked English proficiency. In May, a separate crash in Alabama involving a semi-truck driver—also on a work visa and unable to speak English—resulted in two deaths, according to CCJ Digital. These incidents have fueled calls for tighter regulation and have put pressure on agencies to scrutinize how CDLs are issued, especially to non-U.S. residents.
The American Trucking Associations (ATA) has publicly supported the visa pause. Chris Spear, the ATA’s President and CEO, said, "At a minimum, we need better accounting of how many non-domiciled CDLs are being issued, which is why we applaud Transportation Secretary Duffy for launching a nationwide audit in June upon our request. We also believe a surge in enforcement of key regulations—including motor carrier compliance—is necessary to prevent bad actors from operating on our nation’s highways." The ATA’s position reflects growing anxiety among American truckers, who see the influx of foreign drivers as both a safety risk and a threat to their livelihoods.
According to FMCSA data cited by Reuters, about 16 percent of U.S. truck drivers were born outside the United States as of 2023. The new restrictions have already had ripple effects beyond U.S. borders. Mexican truck drivers in the border city of Ciudad Juarez, for example, have reportedly begun studying English in earnest to comply with the Trump administration’s order. The implications for cross-border commerce and the supply chain remain uncertain, with some industry analysts warning of potential driver shortages and disruptions to freight movement if the visa pause persists.
The political ramifications have been swift and sharp. The case has sparked a heated spat between the Trump administration and California Governor Gavin Newsom, each blaming the other for regulatory failures that allowed Singh and others like him to operate on U.S. roads. The dispute has become emblematic of the broader national divide over immigration, federal versus state oversight, and the balance between economic needs and public safety. While some in the trucking industry and conservative circles have cheered the crackdown, immigrant rights advocates and some business groups have warned that blanket restrictions could backfire, exacerbating labor shortages and driving up costs for consumers.
Meanwhile, the families of those lost in the Florida crash are left grappling with grief and unanswered questions. The tragedy has brought renewed attention to the real-world consequences of regulatory lapses and the urgent need for clear, consistent enforcement of safety standards. As the policy debate rages on, one thing is clear: the intersection of immigration, transportation safety, and federal oversight is more contentious—and consequential—than ever before.
With the visa pause now in effect and investigations ongoing, the future of foreign drivers in American trucking remains uncertain. For now, the nation is left to weigh the costs and benefits of its open roads—and to reckon with the human toll when the system fails.
