California delays mass cancellation of immigrant trucker licenses to March

California motor vehicle officials have extended commercial driver’s licenses for approximately 17,000 immigrant truckers at risk of losing work next week, following a federal review that raised questions about how the state handled expiration dates for non-citizen drivers.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles announced Tuesday that it would delay the cancellation of those licenses until March 6 while the state works to resolve compliance concerns raised by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

The 60-day reprieve follows a class-action lawsuit filed against the state by five drivers and several civil rights groups, including the Asian Law Caucus, the Sikh Coalition and the Jakara Movement. The lawsuit in Alameda Superior Court argues that the DMV acted under pressure from the U.S. Department of Transportation agency, breaking state law by failing to allow drivers to renew or correct their licenses.

California stopped issuing and renewing the non-domiciled licenses as of Sept. 29 to comply with new federal rules. The next month, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced he was withholding more than $40 million in federal funds meant for California after determining the state had not followed English Language Proficiency standards established for commercial drivers, whom he labeled as “dangerous foreign drivers.”

The affected drivers — many of whom are Punjabi-speaking immigrants working in the Central Valley’s trucking industry from Bakersfield to Yuba City — received notices that their commercial licenses would be canceled beginning Monday. Advocates said many had valid work permits or had not been given an opportunity to update their records.

“This is an important step towards alleviating the immediate threat that these drivers are facing to their lives and livelihoods,” said Munmeeth Kaur, legal director of the Sikh Coalition. “We intend to remain fully engaged with the state of California to ensure that they find and publicize a permanent solution for these drivers and their families.”

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the DMV acknowledged in a letter earlier this month that some licenses were issued with expiration dates that did not match federal work authorization records. In some cases, outdated documentation in state databases led to cancellation notices for drivers whose permits were still valid.

The DMV had planned to begin issuing corrected licenses in December but said the Trump administration blocked those plans.

“Commercial drivers are an important part of our economy — our supply chains don’t move, and our communities don’t stay connected without them,” DMV Director Steve Gordon said in a statement. “We are hopeful that our collaboration with the federal government will give FMCSA confidence in our updated processes to allow California to promptly resume issuance of nondomiciled commercial driver’s licenses.”

Affected drivers — who operate everything from tractor-trailers to school buses — will receive updated letters confirming the March deadline extension. They will remain fully licensed and will be urged not to downgrade or surrender their licenses, the DMV said.

Attorneys for the advocacy groups said they would continue pursuing a permanent fix to prevent mass cancellations in March.