The U.S. Department of Transportation removed more than 800 dangerous truckers in recent weeks as part of its ongoing effort to make America’s roads safe again.
Federal authorities detained 51 illegal immigrants, including 21 drivers with non-domiciled commercial driver licenses issued by California and New York, during the second wave of Operation Highway Shield.
The latest multi-agency highway safety sweep took place July 28-30 and targeted unqualified foreign truck drivers across U.S. highways and freight corridors in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Ohio, DOT officials said.
Working alongside state highway patrols, inspectors from Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations conducted roadside checks to crack down on illegal drivers and unsafe vehicles.
Highway patrols and commercial vehicle inspectors issued 36 violations for failing English language proficiency tests and recovered nearly $1 million in stolen cargo.
Law enforcement officers also placed 766 unsafe drivers and vehicles out of service and arrested 86 operators for dangerous behavior, including road rage and domestic violence.
“Every life lost from an illegal trucker behind the wheel of a big rig is a completely preventable tragedy — and this administration will not stand for it,” Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said. “Our new partnership with DHS builds on President Trump’s progress to secure our roads, eliminate fraud and restore the integrity of trucking in America.”
The Trump administration has taken a tough stance on illegal immigrant truckers with commercial licenses, particularly drivers who cannot speak English.
A series of traffic fatalities involving illegal immigrant driver prompted the crackdown and new DOT regulations on who can obtained a non-domiciled commercial driver’s license.
In many cases, Biden’s open border gave them a free pass into the country, and sanctuary states like California and New York handed out commercial licenses without proper vetting and document verification.
The DOT has joined forces with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and federal, state and local partners to enforce federal transportation rules and remove dangerous drivers.
In its first wave, Operation Highway Shield conducted more than 3,300 inspections in Florida in March. That operation resulted in 176 drivers being taken out of service, 54 of which were pulled off the road for language deficiencies, DOT officials said.
Additionally, 35 individuals were arrested on criminal-related charges, and 42 individuals were taken into custody for violating federal immigration laws.
On Aug. 6, ICE HSI Jacksonville arrested Jose Carlos Valdivia-Vera, an illegal immigrant from Cuba, who had been issued a final order of removal. Valdivia-Vera had a temporary one-year CDL that expired on June 6.
“Every time an illegal alien is behind the wheel of a semi-truck, they are putting countless American lives in danger,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said. “We will relentlessly pursue any and all illegal alien truck drivers and the companies that employ them.”
In March, the new FMCSA rules took effect to stop unqualified foreign drivers from obtaining licenses to drive commercial trucks and buses.
In that same month, FMCSA conducted Operation SafeDRIVE which resulted in the removal of nearly 2,000 unqualified truckers and vehicles being removed from American roads, as well as 56 arrests.
Last month, DHS and DOT announced a partnership to investigate fraudulent and illegal practices in CDL schools.
Under President Trump, the DOT is also working to “lock English proficiency rules into federal regulations FOR GOOD, so no future administration can ever undo them,” Duffy shared on social media last week.
🚨NEW: WE’RE MOVING TO MAKE ENGLISH REQUIREMENTS FOR TRUCKERS PERMANENT LAW🚨
Today, I am proposing to lock English proficiency rules into federal regulations FOR GOOD — so no future administration can ever undo them
Barack Obama weakened this rule and allowed illegal truckers… pic.twitter.com/UwZDqiyAk3
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) August 7, 2026
In October 2025, ICE and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol conducted a three-day operation that arrested 120 illegal aliens on Oklahoma’s roads, including 91 who were operating commercial motor vehicles with CDLs.
Other states such as Indiana and South Carolina have enacting new laws to get illegal drivers with CDLs off the roads as well as conducted their own enforcement operations.
Besides having a war of words with Democratic governors, Duffy has pulled or threatened to withhold federal funding to states who unlawfully issue CDLs to foreign drivers without verifying their lawful status or competency to drive an 18-wheeler.
The FMCSA started investigating and discovered California had illegally issued 17,000 non-domiciled CDLs. A federal audit found more than half of New York’s non-domiciled CDLs violated federal law.
In retaliation, 22 liberal states are suing the DOT to block the Trump administration from getting all of the DMV files from states to verify who is driving semi-trucks, Duffy shared on his X account.
🚨LIBERAL STATES ARE SIDING WITH ILLEGAL TRUCK DRIVERS OVER THE SAFETY OF AMERICAN CITIZENS
22 states are suing @USDOT to block the Trump administration from getting all of the DMV files from states to verify who is driving semis. Information that we are ENTITLED to get.
It… pic.twitter.com/sNgunSNHz5
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) August 14, 2026
He said it’s information the DOT is entitled to have, adding “It shows how perverse these radical leftists have become.”
Meanwhile, in 2025 alone, at least 17 fatal crashes resulted in 30 deaths, and they all involved truckers with non-domiciled CDLs. Many were issued in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s California, along with Washington, Massachusetts and New York.
FMCSA Administrator Derek D. Barrs said the enforcement efforts are about saving lives and curtailing dangerous practices in the trucking industry.
“We are taking the fight directly to corrupt dispatch rings, manipulated logbooks, and unqualified drivers who threaten law-abiding truckers and everyday commuters alike,” Barrs said. “If you are operating legally, we are here to support you. If you are cheating the system and endangering Americans, Operation Highway Shield is coming for your keys.”
