The United States moved Thursday to halt the issuance of visas for commercial truck drivers, days after a fatal crash in Florida involving an Indian driver intensified criticism over foreign workers on American roads.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the suspension on social media platform X, writing that the presence of foreign drivers was “endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers.”
“The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on US roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers,” Rubio said.
The decision followed the case of Harjinder Singh, a driver from India, who was charged with killing three people while making an illegal U-turn on a Florida highway. Federal officials said Singh had entered the country illegally from Mexico and failed an English test after the crash, according to news agency AFP.
Effective immediately we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers.
The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) August 21, 2025
The case has now created a political spat between the Trump administration and California Governor Gavin Newsom, each accusing the other of responsibility.
In June, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a directive that truck drivers must speak English. Truck drivers are required to pass a test for a commercial license, which includes a test of the drivers are proficient in English on basic skills such as road signs.
In the past couple of months, the US has taken steps to enforce the requirement that truckers speak and read English proficiently.
The Transportation Department said the aim is to improve road safety following incidents in which drivers’ inability to read signs or speak English may have contributed to traffic deaths.
