Thousands of immigrant drivers with commercial driver’s licenses set to expire next month were left confused and disappointed when news broke that California was planning to reissue the licenses — only to learn that federal regulators were not authorized to do so.
Amarjit Singh, a truck driver and owner of a Bay Area trucking company, said he and other drivers were hopeful when they heard California’s intentions.
“We were happy [the California Department of Motor Vehicles] I would take them out again,” he said, “But now, things are not clear and it feels like we are still in the dark.”
Singh said he does not know if he should renew his insurance and permits that allow him to work in different states.
“I don’t know if I will have to look for another job,” he said. “I’m stuck.”
Singh is one of 17,000 drivers who were given 60-day cancellation notices on November 6 following California’s non-domiciled commercial driver’s license test, which has become a political hotbed after an unlicensed truck driver was accused of making illegal turns. and caused a crash in Florida three people died.
A national program allows immigrants who are authorized to work in the country to obtain a business driver’s license. But officials said a state audit found that the California Department of Motor Vehicles issued thousands of licenses with expiration dates that extended beyond the operating permits, prompting state officials to suspend the program until the state comes into compliance.
This week, i The San Francisco Chronicle obtained the letter dated Dec. 10 from DMV Director Steve Gordon to the US Department of Transportation saying the state agency had met federal guidelines and would begin reissuing licenses.
In a statement to The Times, DMV officials confirmed they had notified regulators and planned to issue the licenses Wednesday, but state officials told them Tuesday they could not proceed.
DMV officials said they met with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which oversees the issuance of non-domiciled driver’s licenses, to seek clarification on the unresolved issues.
A spokesperson for the Department of Transportation, which oversees the FMCSA, will only say that it continues to work with the state to ensure compliance.
The DMV is hopeful that the federal government will allow California to move forward, said agency spokeswoman Eva Spiegel.
“Commercial drivers are a vital part of our economy — our supply chains don’t move and our communities don’t stay connected without them,” Spiegel said. “The DMV is ready to resume issuing business driver’s licenses, including modified licenses to qualified drivers. As we comply with federal and state laws, this delay by the federal government not only hurts our trucking industry, but also leaves qualified drivers out in the cold without any resolution during this holiday season.”
Bhupinder Kaur – director of operations at UNITED SIKHS, a national civil rights organization – said the upcoming cancellations will have a negative impact on Sikh, Punjabi, Latino and other important immigrant drivers of California’s goods economy.
“I have spoken to truck drivers who have delayed marriages, I have spoken to truck drivers who have closed their trucking companies. “I myself come from a trucking family. We are all dealing with the consequences of this.”
Despite the speed bump this week, Kaur said the Sikh trucking community still has hope.
“The Sikh mentality is always positive,” he said. “We will not accept it – we will continue to fight.”
