Duffy exposes 54% of North Carolina truck licenses issued illegally to 'dangerous drivers'

North Carolina

Duffy exposes 54% of North Carolina truck licenses issued illegally to 'dangerous drivers'

Transportation secretary threatens to withhold nearly $50M in federal funding unless state revokes noncompliant CDLs

Alexandra Koch Fox News

Published

January 8, 2026 6:36pm EST

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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Thursday exposed that 54% of North Carolina’s non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) to foreign nationals reviewed by federal officials were issued illegally.

The discovery came amid the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) ongoing nationwide audit of the state’s truck licensing systems.

If North Carolina does not revoke all illegally issued licenses, the Department of Transportation (DOT) will withhold nearly $50 million in federal funding.

"North Carolina’s failure to follow the rules isn’t just shameful — it's dangerous. I’m calling on state leadership to immediately remove these dangerous drivers from our roads and clean up their system," Duffy wrote in a statement. "President [Donald] Trump and I are committed to keeping you and your family safe on our roads."

ICE arrests over 100 illegal alien truck drivers in California sweep

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that widespread fraud is allowing illegal immigrants to obtain commercial driver’s licenses, which he said poses safety risks. (Department of Homeland Security)

ICE ARRESTS ILLEGAL-IMMIGRANT TRUCKER FROM UZBEKISTAN OVER ALLEGED TERROR TIES

In a letter to North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein and state Department of Public Safety Commissioner Paul Tine, the FMCSA said the state illegally issued non-domiciled CDLs to drivers who were ineligible, those whose licenses were valid long after their lawful presence in the U.S. expired, and those whose lawful status in the U.S. were not verified by North Carolina.

FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs said the level of noncompliance in North Carolina is "egregious."

To retain its federal funding, North Carolina will be required to immediately pause issuance of non-domiciled CDLs, identify all unexpired non-domiciled CDLs that fail to comply with FMCSA regulations, and revoke and reissue all noncompliant non-domiciled CDLs if they comply with the federal requirements.

ICE arrested more than 100 foreign national truck drivers in California’s Operation Highway Sentinel following deadly crashes tied to state-issued CDLs. (Department of Homeland Security)

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The state must also conduct a comprehensive internal audit to identify all procedural and programming errors, training and quality assurance problems, insufficient policies and practices, and other issues that have resulted in the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs that did not meet federal rules.

Duffy set his focus on CDL issues in early 2025 after an Indian national who held a California-issued CDL allegedly killed a car full of people on Florida’s turnpike.

ICE said Akhror Bozorov, 31, a criminal illegal immigrant from Uzbekistan, was issued a CDL from Pennsylvania. (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

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California has since revoked 17,000 problematic non-domiciled CDL licenses, as DOT conducts a nationwide audit, initiated by President Donald Trump’s executive order on truck driver roadway safety.

Fox News Digital's Charles Creitz contributed to this report.

Alexandra Koch is a Fox News Digital journalist who covers breaking news, with a focus on high-impact events that shape national conversation.

She has covered major national crises, including the L.A. wildfires, Potomac and Hudson River aviation disasters, Boulder terror attack, and Texas Hill Country floods.

Duffy exposes 54% of North Carolina truck licenses issued illegally to 'dangerous drivers'