Indiana Prepares to Revoke 'Illegally Issued' CDLs and Fine $50,000 for Hiring Such Drivers

Indiana Governor Mike Braun announced a state initiative aimed at revoking CDLs claimed to be issued improperly, primarily in the non-domiciled CDL segment. Simultaneously, the state administration is pushing for stricter accountability for both drivers deemed 'improperly licensed' and carriers who continue to hire them.

The announcement was made in an official post by the governor on Facebook, where Braun linked the initiative to road safety issues, immigration control, and compliance with English language requirements critical for working on U.S. roads, including understanding road signs and police instructions (Governor Mike Braun's post).

According to Braun, three key areas will be focused on: reviewing the legality of CDL issuance in the state (with an emphasis on non-domiciled mechanisms), strengthening control over English Language Proficiency (ELP), and introducing stricter sanctions to 'remove incentives' for using drivers with problematic document status.

The essence of the initiative, as described in the statement and comments from the governor's legislative partners, boils down to a combination of administrative actions and preparing changes to state statutory law.

The first block is the revocation of 'illegally issued' CDLs. Braun claims that a federal audit of the non-domiciled CDL program in Indiana was the catalyst. According to him, after the audit, the state has already started removing 'hundreds' of drivers who obtained licenses improperly from the roads. Exact numbers, audit periods, and whether it involves revocation, suspension, or disqualification are not provided in the public message. For the market, this is a crucial detail because the legal consequences for the carrier will vary depending on the wording: 'revocation', 'suspension', 'disqualification', and when exactly the carrier was notified of the status change.

The second block is the penalty and criminal component. State Representative Jim Pressel, involved in drafting amendments, outlined the sanction levels in public comments cited in source materials: $5,000 for a driver operating a commercial vehicle with an 'improper' license, and $50,000 for the owner/operator of a transport business hiring a driver with an illegal/invalid CDL or without a CDL. It was also mentioned that the severity of the offense would be raised to a Level 6 felony for cases of operating without a proper license in the context of the proposed amendment. For companies operating through Indiana in transit, the key point is that if enforcement is built around the fact of hiring and dispatching, sanctions could affect not only Indiana fleets but any carrier caught in checks within the state.

The third block is ELP. Braun presents the strengthening of English language knowledge control as an element of a driver's 'basic suitability' for safe road work. Statements mention the ability to read and understand road signs and law enforcement instructions. For the industry, this signals a potential increase in out-of-service orders during inspections and stricter qualification checks—not only at the CDL issuance test level but also on the road.

The initiative involves State Attorney General Todd Rokita (AG Todd Rokita). According to the stated position, Rokita's team is seeking to make CDL revocation mandatory in certain categories of cases, rather than a discretionary decision by the agency or court. In public rhetoric, this is linked to the thesis of 'public safety risk' and an attempt to establish a stricter legal link between immigration status and the right to operate commercial transport.

From a practical standpoint for carriers, the procedural consequences are more important than the political background: if license revocation becomes mandatory based on a formal criterion, the window for appeals may narrow, and the risk of suddenly losing a driver 'mid-week' may increase. This raises the cost of checks at the hiring stage and periodic document verification already in the state of operation.

In the statement, Braun refers to the results of the 'Midway Blitz' operation at the Illinois border conducted 'last fall'. According to him, 223 people were detained on Indiana highways, whom he calls 'illegal aliens', of which 146 were truck drivers. These figures were presented as an argument that the problem is not isolated and requires a systemic response through licensing and hiring.

However, in available industry reviews and general market digests circulating in February 2026, there are no direct confirmations of this operation, its scale, and the composition of those detained. This does not mean the operation did not occur, but it shows that at the time of preparing the material outside the governor's publication and related retellings, the industry did not receive independent details: who conducted the event (which ISP units and in what configuration), what compositions of offenses were imputed, what was the procedural outcome (deportation procedures, criminal cases, administrative fines), and how many of those detained were actually related to active commercial transportation, rather than, for example, passenger status or another role.