Minnesota the Newest State Target in the FMCSA Crackdown
The latest chapter in the FMCSA versus states non-domiciled CDL crackdown saga has been published. After going after California and Pennsylvania, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration now has its eyes on Minnesota.
Details
In the announcement, Sean Duffy announced that he and his FMCSA auditors were not happy.
“Minnesota failed to follow the law and illegally doled out trucking licenses to unsafe, unqualified noncitizens — endangering American families on the road. That abuse stops now under the Trump administration. The Department will withhold funding if Minnesota continues this reckless behavior that puts noncitizens gaming the system ahead of the safety of Americans.” Duffy said in a statement.
FMCSA auditors report that in a sample of 75 non-domiciled CDL-holders tested, 25 of them, or 33% were given their licenses contrary to federal regulations. If the statistics hold up for the 2,117 drivers across the North Star State, that means 699 or more drivers may not be up to standard.
The FMCSA orders Minnesota to:
- Paue issuing non-domiciled CDLs and CLPs.
- Identify all unexpired non-domiciled ones that fail to comply with FMCSA regulations.
- Conduct a comprehensive internal audit to identify all procedural and programming errors, training and quality assurance problems, insufficient policies and practices, and other issues.
If Minnesota does not comply, the Department of Transportation threatens to withhold $30 million in funding.
“Once funds are withheld following a substantial noncompliance determination, they are no longer available for apportionment to Minnesota,” head of FMCSA Derek Barrs stated in an accompanying statement. “In addition, if FMCSA issues a final determination of substantial noncompliance, the agency may decertify Minnesota’s CDL program. Decertification of Minnesota’s CDL program would prohibit the state from issuing, renewing, transferring or upgrading CLPs and CDLs until such time as FMCSA determines that DVS is in substantial compliance.”
Conclusion
First California, then Pennsylvania, and now Minnesota. The FMCSA seems interested in living up to its name under the second Trump Administration, putting the “safe” in “safety”. As the crackdown continues, it is likely the FMCSA will cover its bases of all fifty states before it is all said and done.
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