WASHINGTON — The U.S. will immediately halt the processing of new work visas for foreign people seeking to drive commercial trucks in the country, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
Rubio made the announcement in a post on X on Thursday night, arguing the number of “foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers.”
In a statement to Spectrum News, a spokesperson for the State Department said the pause is being conducted in order to allow the administration to carry out a “comprehensive and thorough review” of the federal government’s system for screening and vetting foreigners seeking work visas to operate commercial trucks.
The spokesperson added that the pause applies to the H-2B, E-2 and EB-3 visa classifications and impacts people of all nationalities, with no individual country being singled out.
No specific timeline on when the pause would be lifted was given, but the spokesperson said the halt in processing would last until the State Department — along with the Labor Department and Homeland Security Department — completes the review of its process for issuing work visas to truckers and implements any necessary changes.
The goal of the review, the State Department spokesperson said, is to ensure every driver operating a commercial truck in the U.S. is “properly qualified,” which includes being able to speak English proficiently.
The Trump administration has broadly sought to place heightened scrutiny on the visas it issues, but this move relating to truck drivers in particular comes as the Transportation Department is investigating a crash involving a truck on a South Florida turnpike earlier this month that killed three people.
The truck that allegedly caused the wreck was operated by White Hawk Carriers based in Ceres, California. Its driver, Harjinder Singh, is an undocumented immigrant who was issued a commercial driver’s license by Washington state in 2023 and a limited-term, non-domiciled commercial driver’s license by California last year, officials said.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said its preliminary investigation found the driver did not speak English and that the states of Washington and New Mexico had violated government rules under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. According to the agency, New Mexico State Police conducted a roadside inspection and issued a speeding ticket to Singh on July 3, “but there is no indication that an English Language Proficiency assessment was administered.”
It comes after President Donald Trump in April issued an executive order directing the Transportation Department to rescind guidance developed during the Obama administration that allowed non-English-speaking commercial drivers to remain in service even if they violated a national regulation requiring English proficiency. As a result, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy signed an order in May stating drivers who fail to meet FMCSA’s longstanding English-language proficiency requirements would be removed from service starting June 25.
Reports show the industry is facing a shortage of drivers in the U.S., with one published in April putting the figure needed at 24,000.
Of the 3.5 million employed truck drivers in the United States, about 18% are immigrants, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The government statistics also found that in 2024, foreign-born workers were more likely than native-born workers to be employed in service occupations, a category that includes “transportation, and material moving occupations.”
Spectrum News’ Susan Carpenter contributed to this report.
