Trump Seeks to Replace 200,000 Immigrant Truck Drivers With Veterans
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 16
Trump Seeks to Replace 200,000 Immigrant Truck Drivers With Veterans
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 16
Summary
Trump said his administration will crack down on unauthorized immigrant truck drivers and train veterans to replace them, adding that military heavy-truck drivers would automatically qualify for commercial licenses.
At a Carlisle, Pennsylvania, military investment summit, he offered no details for the plan and again claimed without evidence that immigrant drivers cause many crashes, cannot read signs and abuse drugs.
About 200,000 immigrant drivers with authorization to live and work in the U.S. lost their licenses in March, part of a broader push to restrict commercial driving by immigrants, including legal residents.
An April 2025 executive order told the Transportation Department to enforce an English-language requirement and review licenses held by foreign citizens authorized to work in the United States.
Foreign nationals must already have work authorization and pass the same schools and tests as other commercial drivers, and no comprehensive studies show how many truck crashes involve immigrant drivers.