Around 13,000 immigrant commercial drivers lost their licenses early this year. A court ordered California to reopen applications, but none have been reissued. The state faces over $160 million in withheld federal funds over the dispute. Shipping costs across California look to rise as immigrant truck drivers are facing uncertainty over their licenses. The drivers had been allowed to recover their commercial licenses in the spring, offering hope after several months of uncertainty. However, weeks after that promise, thousands of drivers remain waiting because the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles has not reissued the anticipated licenses, leaving many jobless. More: 13,000 Immigrant Truck Drivers Just Lost Their Licenses In CaliforniaAt the beginning of this year, the California DMV revoked the licenses of about 13,000 non-citizen drivers who held commercial driver’s licenses. The ruling was based on federal directives alleging that immigrant drivers were worse drivers than US citizens or more permanently-based immigrants. For most drivers who had been granted the right to work after their licenses were issued, the abrupt cancellations left them without income. Singh, a Bay Area truck driver who asked not to be fully named, told Cali Matters that he built his livelihood hauling freight across the country. Although he is legally allowed to work in the U.S. through an approved asylum case, the absence of a green card leaves him caught in a gap within current regulations. He told the outlet that he was earning between $11,000 and $16,000 a month as an independent contractor until his license was pulled on March 6. The truck he bought for $160,000 four years ago still demands $3,000 a month, plus $1,500 for insurance. Now the income is gone, his wife has taken a nanny job, and he is left asking, “what of work could possibly cover the rent and those payments?” Delays On Delays Earlier this year, an Alameda County Superior Court judge ordered the state to open new applications and issue them within a reasonable period of time. In spite of this order, California has yet to reissue any of the 13,000 licenses it rescinded. It has been explained to many that the review process would take months and, in some instances, even years, which frustrates and leaves the families depending on trucking as the major source of their income at a loss. Read: First Truckers Taken Off The Road For Failing To Speak English Under Trump’s Tougher Policy A complicated confrontation between the state and federal government is at the heart of the problem. The Department of Transportation is threatening to punish the state if they go ahead with reissuing licenses. Over $160 million in federal funds is already being withheld from California by the Transport Secretary, while threats of further punitive action continue to weigh, including revoking the state’s ability to issue licenses altogether. There may be some hope on the horizon, with California issuing lawsuits against the Department, but for drivers who remain in limbo, the loss of a livelihood is a heavy burden. The Legal Right To Drive According to Cal Matters, a large number of the affected people are asylum seekers or those who have genuine work permits, including those under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Although they were legally in the United States when they were issued their licenses, the federal change in interpretation held that their qualifications were not valid after their paperwork expired. But labor shortages have been experienced in California supply chains, which are already strained, and have been exacerbated by a shortage of experienced drivers. Advocacy groups and state officials continue to put pressure on resolving this situation, arguing that the reinstatement of such licenses would not only benefit the immigrant families but also the economy in general. Photos Volvo Trucks, Mack Trucks
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