Appeals Court Blocks Trump Restrictions on Immigrant Truck Drivers

A court stopped the administration from enforcing new regulations that would have prevented noncitizens with certain visa types from gaining commercial driver’s licenses.

1 minute read

November 17, 2025, 6:00 AM PST

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Man climbing into 18-wheeler truck.

Hryshchyshen Serhii / Shutterstock

A federal appeals court ruled last week that the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) cannot enforce stricter rules limiting which immigrants can receive commercial driver’s licenses, reports Josh Funk for the Associated Press.

According to the court, the federal government didn’t follow appropriate procedure for drafting the rule and did not “articulate a satisfactory explanation for how the rule would promote safety.” The court pointed out that immigrants account for roughly 5 percent of commercial driver’s licenses and 0.2 percent of fatal crashes.

California revoked roughly 17,000 licenses last week after USDOT threatened to revoke the state’s ability to issue them. The new restrictions proposed by the government would limit commercial driver’s licenses to three specific visa classes and make them valid for just up to one year. 

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