Sponsor
Jefferson Van Drew
Representative · R-NJ
Representative · R-NJ
The bill tightens CDL verification to protect federal funds and give carriers confidence in driver eligibility, but it risks denying licenses to hard-to-verify immigrants and cross-border drivers and could impose compliance costs or funding penalties on states and businesses.
Employers (carriers) get stronger assurance that drivers hired with CDLs are lawfully authorized, reducing risk of regulatory penalties and operational disruptions for businesses that rely on commercial drivers.
States that follow the new verification requirements maintain access to federal highway funds, preserving federal infrastructure financing and the projects that depend on it.
State motor-vehicle agencies get clearer, more uniform rules for issuing CDLs, reducing ambiguity in licensing decisions and administrative burden for state governments.
Immigrant CDL applicants whose lawful presence cannot be confirmed through SAVE risk being denied licenses, reducing work opportunities for otherwise lawful but hard-to-verify immigrants.
States that fail to meet the verification requirements risk losing federal highway funds, which could delay infrastructure projects and raise costs for taxpayers and local contractors.
Truck drivers who live near but are not domiciled in a State could lose CDL eligibility there, disrupting employment for drivers and operations for carriers that depend on cross-border workers.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires proof of citizenship/authorized status and state domicile for CDLs, mandates SAVE verification, and allows DOT to suspend federal highway funds for noncompliant States.
Official title: To amend titles 23 and 49, United States Code, with respect to the issuance of commercial driver's licenses to certain unauthorized individuals, and for other purposes.
Introduced October 28, 2025 by Jefferson Van Drew · Last progress October 28, 2025
Makes States require proof of citizenship, lawful permanent residence, or work authorization plus proof of domicile before issuing commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs). It requires states to verify non‑citizen applicants through DHS’s SAVE system, bars issuance when SAVE cannot confirm lawful presence, authorizes DOT to penalize states by suspending certain federal highway funds for noncompliance, and directs DOT to create fines for carriers that knowingly hire drivers without compliant CDLs.