Lawsuit Prompts CA To Pause Revocation Of Truck Driver Licenses, Duffy Reacts Sharply

India-West News Desk

SACRAMENTO, CA – After being sued by Sikh and immigrant rights groups, California has halted plans to revoke thousands of commercial truck driving licenses held by migrant drivers, delaying a move that had been set to take effect this week.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles announced that it will postpone the cancellation of approximately 17,000 non-domiciled Commercial Driver’s Licenses that were scheduled to be revoked on January 5. Instead, affected drivers will be allowed to continue operating while they are given an additional two months to retest and reapply for their licenses.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy reacted sharply to the delay, reiterating a warning issued late last year. Duffy said the federal government could withhold up to $160 million in transportation funding from California if the state fails to meet federal requirements to revoke licenses that the U.S. Department of Transportation has deemed unlawfully issued.

According to the DoT, failures allowed thousands of foreign drivers to receive commercial licenses in violation of federal rules in California.

Fatal crashes in 2025 in Florida and near Los Angeles spotlighted the problem for DoT. The drivers were Sikh, and their immigration status was questioned.

The DMV’s decision to delay enforcement comes just days after it was sued in state court. The Sikh Coalition and the Asian Law Caucus filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of California drivers, arguing that immigrant truck drivers are being unfairly targeted and that licenses are being cancelled over minor paperwork discrepancies rather than safety concerns.

According to the Los Angeles Times, an estimated 150,000 Punjabi Sikhs work in the American trucking industry.