WASHINGTON, D.C. — Federal transportation officials are threatening to withhold nearly $75 million in funding from Pennsylvania after a nationwide audit found the state illegally issued commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) to ineligible foreign drivers, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The announcement came Thursday from Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy, who said the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) uncovered serious violations in Pennsylvania’s handling of non-domiciled CDLs — licenses issued to non-U.S. citizens.

The warning follows the recent arrest of an Uzbek national with suspected terror ties who was found driving a semi-truck in Kansas while holding a Pennsylvania CDL, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

FMCSA’s review found that PennDOT issued CDLs without verifying legal presence, and in some cases granted licenses with expiration dates extending beyond the driver’s authorized stay in the United States. Federal officials said these failures violated longstanding federal safety regulations designed to prevent unqualified foreign drivers from operating commercial vehicles.

USDOT has ordered Pennsylvania to take three immediate corrective actions or face the loss of federal highway and safety funds:

• Pause all issuance, renewal, transfer, or upgrades of non-domiciled CDLs and commercial learner’s permits.

• Conduct a full internal audit to identify all improperly issued licenses.

• Void or rescind all non-compliant licenses and remove unqualified drivers from the road.

“This Department is taking every measure to ensure dangerous foreign drivers aren’t illegally operating 40-ton vehicles on American roads,” Duffy said. He argued that the federal audit was necessary after multiple states — including Pennsylvania — were found to have systemic failures in verifying eligibility for non-domiciled CDL applicants.

The action comes after a series of policy changes under the Trump administration, including stricter eligibility rules for CDL applicants, expanded audits of non-domiciled drivers, enforcement of English-proficiency requirements, and an executive order designating English as the official language of the United States.

PennDOT has not yet released a public response to the federal ultimatum.

📸 Image(s) used under fair use for news reporting.