FMCSA Issues Emergency Rule Restricting Non-Domiciled CDLs

Sep 29 • News

The U.S. Department of Transportation has enacted an emergency interim final rule to crack down on how states issue non-domiciled Commercial Learner’s Permits (CLPs) and CDLs. The rule is effective immediately.

What Changed

States must now enforce tighter eligibility checks, including verifying employment-based visas and conducting federal immigration status checks via the SAVE system.
Any improperly issued non-domiciled CDLs must be revoked.
States like California have 30 days to comply or risk losing federal highway funding.

How & When This Could Impact Freight

Short term (weeks to months):

Some carriers may see immediate capacity loss if drivers with now-invalid CDLs are removed from service.
States must scramble to audit and revoke non-compliant licenses — causing operational disruptions.
Brokers might face constraints in sourcing drivers for certain lanes until compliance stabilizes.

Medium term (3–6 months):

Freight rates may pressure upward in hot zones as capacity tightens.
Some shippers might find loads unservable in states where non-domiciled CDLs were widely used.
Carriers will need to adapt driver recruiting to stricter compliance and vetting.

Bottom line: This is a fast-acting regulatory shift with ripple effects on capacity, rates, and driver availability, especially in regions with high reliance on non-domiciled drivers.

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fmcsa-issues-emergency-rule-restricting-non-domiciled-cdls

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