The US Department of Transportation Threatens Pennsylvania Over Issuance of Commercial CDLs

In November 2025, the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) officially warned Pennsylvania state authorities about a potential suspension of approximately $75 million in federal funding due to violations in the issuance of non-domiciled commercial driver's licenses (Non-Domiciled CDL). The reason was a conclusion by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which identified non-compliance of the CDL program with federal requirements.

According to US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the state's actions "undermine the integrity of the federal commercial driver licensing system and create road safety risks." The statement was published on November 20, 2025, in an official department release (transportation.gov).

According to the preliminary FMCSA notice of non-compliance, the audit revealed that in Pennsylvania:

• non-domiciled CDLs were issued with a validity period exceeding the driver's legal stay in the US;
• licenses were issued without proper verification of immigration status, as required by federal regulations;
• compliance with federal standards was monitored at the state level formally rather than substantively.

The FMCSA demanded an immediate suspension of the issuance, renewal, and replacement of non-domiciled CDLs and commercial learner's permits (CLP), conduct an internal audit, and revoke all licenses issued in violation. The document emphasizes that failure to comply with the requirements may result in the state losing both federal funding and certification of its CDL program (fmcsa.dot.gov).

Federal authorities paid particular attention to the case of Uzbek truck driver Akhror Bozorov, who, according to the investigation, was wanted in his homeland for connections with an extremist organization, yet was able to obtain a commercial driver's license in Pennsylvania. The USDOT stated that this case "clearly demonstrates the failures in the control system" identified during the review.

Industry press notes that this episode was one of the factors that accelerated the federal government's strong reaction (overdriveonline.com).

Pennsylvania authorities deny allegations of gross violations. State representatives stated that they used the federal DHS SAVE system to verify the legal status of applicants when issuing CDLs and that no formal discrepancies were identified at the time of license issuance. Nevertheless, the FMCSA insists that the responsibility for full compliance with federal requirements lies with the state, regardless of the verification tools used.

The conflict between the USDOT and Pennsylvania fits into a broader trend of tightening federal control over non-domiciled CDLs. For the freight market, this means:

• possible annulment of already issued licenses;
• risks of staffing disruptions for carriers;
• increased legal uncertainty for foreign drivers and training centers.

The situation shows that the issue of non-domiciled CDLs has ceased to be purely administrative and has turned into a tool of federal policy, where safety, immigration requirements, and millions of dollars in transportation funding are at stake.