In North Carolina, 1 of 2 nondomiciled CDLs illegally issued
A federal review by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration found that about 54% of North Carolina’s nondomiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) were issued in violation of federal rules, triggering a preliminary determination that could lead the U.S. Department of Transportation to withhold $50 million in funding. FMCSA and DOT leaders called the level of noncompliance “egregious” and “risky,” and urged state officials to remove unsafe drivers and fix the system; neither Gov. Josh Stein nor DMV Commissioner Paul Tine had publicly responded. The agency identified problems including licenses remaining valid after lawful presence expired, licenses issued to ineligible holders, and failures to verify lawful presence properly. To avoid funding sanctions, North Carolina must pause issuing nondomiciled CDLs, identify and revoke noncompliant licenses, reissue compliant ones, and conduct a comprehensive internal audit to correct procedural, technical, and training deficiencies. The review comes amid wider national scrutiny of CDL oversight following deadly truck crashes and growing enforcement actions: thousands of training providers have been removed or put on notice nationwide, including dozens in North Carolina. The report highlights safety concerns but also notes potential economic impacts for U.S. truckers from increased entry of lower-cost labor.
In North Carolina, 1 of 2 nondomiciled CDLs illegally issued
(The Center Square) – Review of North Carolina’s nondomiciled commercial driver’s licenses shows 54% were illegally issued.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration analysis sets up withholding of $50 million in federal funding by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Neither first-term Democratic Gov. Josh Stein nor state Division of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Paul Tine has publicly commented on the report.
“The level of noncompliance in North Carolina is egregious,” Administrator Derek Barrs of the motor carrier administration said. “Under Secretary Duffy, we will not hesitate to hold states accountable and protect the American people.”
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy added, “North Carolina’s failure to follow the rules isn’t just shameful – it’s dangerous. I’m calling on state leadership to immediately remove these dangerous drivers from our roads and clean up their system.”
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says:
• Drivers whose licenses were valid long after their lawful presence in the U.S. expired.
• Drivers who were ineligible to hold a non-domiciled commercial CDL.
• Drivers without North Carolina first verify the individual’s lawful presence in the U.S.
For North Carolina to prevent federal funding from being withheld, the Department outlined the following corrective actions:
• Immediately pause issuance of non-domiciled CDLs.
• Identify all unexpired nondomiciled CDLs that fail to comply with FMCSA regulations.
• Revoke and reissue all noncompliant non-domiciled CDLs if they comply with the federal requirements.
• Conduct a comprehensive internal audit to identify all procedural and programming errors, training and quality assurance problems, insufficient policies and practices, and other issues that have resulted in the issuance of nondomiciled CDLs that did not meet Federal rules.
Oversight of commercial driver’s licensing programs drew increased scrutiny across the nation in 2025, punctuated in North Carolina by 78 individuals being removed from a federal registry.
An eastern North Carolina Baptist church, the Head Start program, and a community college are among the entities with involuntary closures of CDL training programs in North Carolina, research from TCS shows. Of the 3,015 training providers for commercial driver’s licenses removed from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Training Provider Registry, 61 in North Carolina were involuntary and 17 were voluntary.
Another 86 were among the nationwide 4,554 put on notice for potential noncompliance, TCS research shows.
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The auditing process has been ongoing throughout the second term of Republican President Donald Trump. Increased scrutiny of CDL licensure programs happened after triple-fatal crashes 66 days apart involving 18-wheelers in Florida and California.
For Congress, safety is paramount in the discussion. Collateral damage, however, includes American truckers losing jobs and experiencing wage reductions from less expensive labor invading their home soil.
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