CHARLOTTE — North Carolina could lose nearly $50 million in federal funding if the state doesn’t revoke commercial driver’s licenses from immigrants who aren’t qualified to hold them, the U.S. Transportation Department said Thursday.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says 54% of North Carolina’s commercial drivers licenses for immigrants were issued illegally. Those include licenses issued to drivers that were valid after they were ordered to leave the country, drivers who were ineligible for a commercial license and drivers who were not verified to be here legally.
[ READ MORE >> North Carolina may lose $50M in federal funds over flawed immigrant trucker licenses ]
The Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association, the largest organization in the country representing truck drivers, told Channel 9 it called for governors to suspend issuing the licenses in August and sent a letter to Gov. Stein raising safety concerns.
“OOIDA and truckers across America applaud Sec. Duffy for responding to our concerns by taking substantial actions to crack down on the irresponsible issuance of non-domiciled CDLs in North Carolina, said OOIDA President Todd Spencer in a statement to Channel 9. “For too long, loopholes in this program have allowed unqualified drivers onto America’s highways, creating unnecessary safety risks for professional drivers and the motoring public alike. These enforcement actions will also remove bad actors from the road and restore accountability to the system. The department’s action is an important step toward safer highways and a stronger, more professional trucking industry.”
The North Carolina DMV is responding to the demands saying, in part, “NCDMV is committed to upholding safety and integrity in our licensing processes. We have been collaborating closely with our federal partners for several months to resolve these matters that are impacting many U.S. states.”
Under the order from the Department of Transportation, the state has 30 days to outline its plan to void illegal licenses.
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