Duffy vs Drivers
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s plan to target foreign-born CDL drivers was shut down by a DC court Friday.
Part of the larger “migrant scare” orchestrated by MAGA, the bill sought to make sweeping changes to who can receive a CDL license, a program which is run by the federal government.
The rule targets drivers based on their nationality alone – a flagrant violation of the Civil Rights Act – under the presumption that these are inherently more hazardous drivers.
What does the data say?
According to Duffy, foreign-born drivers make up about 5% of the CDL workforce (which includes drivers for tractor trailers, buses, etc), and less than 1 percent of all fatal crashes.
But even Duffy’s numbers don’t fully match the data his agency keeps.
Today, 18% of CDL license holders are foreign-born. And of the 1,600 fatal car accidents involving a CDL holder this year, only five involved a non-domiciled driver. That’s a rate of 0.3%.
That means that proportionately, foreign-born drivers are the safest drivers on the road.
And the trucking industry has been plagued by shortages since an Obama-era training program funded by the ARRA of 2009 ended.
Estimates show a current industry shortage of 60,000 - 80,000 drivers.
Regardless of nationality, all applicants must pass a CDL exam for licensure. This requires, among practical skills tests, completion of training by a registered truck driving school that lasts anywhere from four weeks to three months or longer depending on the type of CDL being sought, and a general knowledge test that is only available in English and Spanish.
My dad, who took advantage of the Obama-era program during the recession and has been a truck driver since 2010, holds additional endorsements, including one to haul hazmat, and had to complete a federal TSA security threat assessment and a course on hazardous materials to get it.
These licenses are not just “handed out,” and while the accident in Florida that spurred this most recent attack on immigrants was tragic (as all accidents are), it is not representative of a trend. In fact, CDL accidents have been declining. The most recent data shows an 8.3% drop in large-truck crash fatalities since 2022. They’re now at the lowest rate they’ve been since 2014.
The data on fatal car accidents shows clear and consistent trends on who are the most dangerous drivers: teenage boys. Specifically, teenage boys ages 16-17 driving four-door sedans. Duffy has not suggested that he plans to pass a rule to restrict licenses to those 18 and older.