Trump proposes replacing immigrant truckers with American veterans

Trump moved to recast the trucking crackdown as a veterans jobs program, saying former service members who drove military heavy trucks should be automatically eligible for commercial licenses and that his administration would replace removed drivers with American veterans. The pitch came as the Trump administration sharpened its campaign against immigrant truckers, linking licensing rules to highway safety after a Florida crash that killed three people and a California crash that also killed three.

Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy finalized a rule in February 2026 aimed at stopping what the Department of Transportation called unqualified foreign drivers from getting commercial truck and bus licenses. The department said at least 17 fatal crashes and 30 deaths in 2025 were caused by non-domiciled drivers, and federal officials tied the rule to an ongoing nationwide audit and a series of deadly wrecks. Under Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration guidance, only lawful nonimmigrant visa holders in H-2A, H-2B and E-2 status can still obtain non-domiciled commercial permits or licenses.

By March, the crackdown had widened into a labor shock. PBS News said about 200,000 immigrant truck drivers began losing their commercial driver’s licenses, though existing licenses generally remained valid until they expired. The federal review found problems in at least eight states, and the Transportation Department took enforcement action against California and New York over non-domiciled CDL issues.

California has become the clearest sign of the policy’s fallout. Reporting from the state described thousands of immigrant truckers left in legal limbo and unable to work after their licenses were revoked. That has raised the stakes for freight carriers already worried about staffing, because every revoked credential removes another driver from an industry that moves goods on tight margins and schedules.

The administration’s veterans proposal gives the crackdown a political edge, but it does not resolve the central question now facing regulators and carriers: whether enough veterans with the right training and willingness to enter trucking can fill the gap. Transportation and immigration advocates say the answer may not be yes, and warn the policy could squeeze freight capacity without addressing the causes of the crashes that triggered it.