US suspends visas for foreign truck drivers after Florida crash, involving an Indian, kills 3
The Trump administration has been tightening oversight of commercial trucking, particularly after April’s executive order directing strict enforcement of English-proficiency standards for drivers
- Aug 22, 2025,
- Updated Aug 22, 2025 9:34 AM IST
The United States has halted the issuance of all worker visas for commercial truck drivers, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Thursday. The move, he said, follows mounting safety concerns over foreign drivers on U.S. highways.
“The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers,” Rubio wrote on X.
The Trump administration has been tightening oversight of commercial trucking, particularly after April’s executive order directing strict enforcement of English-proficiency standards for drivers. That order reversed the 2016 guidance that inspectors not penalise drivers solely for lack of English skills.
The decision comes days after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy revealed that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) was investigating a fatal highway crash in Florida. The crash killed three people and involved Harjinder Singh, an Indian national who, officials said, neither spoke English nor had legal authorisation to work in the U.S.
Singh was charged with three counts of vehicular homicide after attempting an illegal U-turn through an “Official Use Only” access point, blocking traffic and triggering the crash. He was taken into custody in California and transported to Florida to face charges. A defense lawyer could not immediately be identified.
Duffy stressed that inadequate enforcement of qualification standards poses “serious safety concerns and increases the likelihood of crashes.” FMCSA estimates that about 16% of U.S. truck drivers were born outside the country.
The administration’s visa freeze underscores the broader shift toward stricter enforcement. Last month, Reuters reported that Mexican truck drivers in Ciudad Juarez had begun studying English to comply with Trump’s order.
The United States has halted the issuance of all worker visas for commercial truck drivers, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Thursday. The move, he said, follows mounting safety concerns over foreign drivers on U.S. highways.
“The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers,” Rubio wrote on X.
The Trump administration has been tightening oversight of commercial trucking, particularly after April’s executive order directing strict enforcement of English-proficiency standards for drivers. That order reversed the 2016 guidance that inspectors not penalise drivers solely for lack of English skills.
The decision comes days after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy revealed that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) was investigating a fatal highway crash in Florida. The crash killed three people and involved Harjinder Singh, an Indian national who, officials said, neither spoke English nor had legal authorisation to work in the U.S.
Singh was charged with three counts of vehicular homicide after attempting an illegal U-turn through an “Official Use Only” access point, blocking traffic and triggering the crash. He was taken into custody in California and transported to Florida to face charges. A defense lawyer could not immediately be identified.
Duffy stressed that inadequate enforcement of qualification standards poses “serious safety concerns and increases the likelihood of crashes.” FMCSA estimates that about 16% of U.S. truck drivers were born outside the country.
The administration’s visa freeze underscores the broader shift toward stricter enforcement. Last month, Reuters reported that Mexican truck drivers in Ciudad Juarez had begun studying English to comply with Trump’s order.