FMCSA Revokes 17,000 CDLs to Restore Integrity to California’s CDL Program

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has taken decisive action to restore accountability in California’s Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) program. A recent federal audit found that the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) improperly issued about 17,000 non-domiciled CDLs that did not meet federal requirements.

These licenses are being revoked, and the state must conduct a full audit of its non-domiciled CDL program. FMCSA’s review found systemic failures, with more than one in four sampled records violating federal rules, including licenses issued beyond the holder’s authorized work period. California has 30 days to correct these deficiencies or risk losing up to $160 million in federal funds.

This action follows a recent enforcement measure related to California’s failure to uphold the English-Language Proficiency (ELP) requirement for commercial drivers. Federal regulations require CDL holders to read and speak English to understand road signs, communicate with law enforcement, and operate safely. In October, the U.S. Department of Transportation withheld about $40 million in highway safety funding from California for not enforcing this rule. Earlier this year, FMCSA reinforced the standard by issuing guidance that allows inspectors to place drivers out of service if they do not meet English-language requirements.

Together, these actions reflect a broader federal effort to strengthen consistency and integrity in state CDL programs nationwide. By addressing compliance failures and reaffirming safety standards, FMCSA is ensuring that qualified, authorized individuals operate commercial vehicles. CVTA appreciates the actions of USDOT and FMCSA and looks forward to seeing ongoing decisive action to clean up the federal Training Provider Registry, which is rife with unlicensed and fraudulent CDL training providers.

The Commercial Vehicle Training Association (CVTA) supports these enforcement measures as essential for maintaining public confidence in commercial driver training and licensing. Clear, uniform enforcement protects both the motoring public and the reputation of professional drivers and training institutions that meet the highest standards of compliance and safety.

Read the Department of Transportation brief here.