(The Center Square) – North Carolina’s rate of 54% for illegal issuance of nondomiciled commercial driver’s licenses drew applause from a truckers’ association and little else from state leaders.
They have pledged safety and integrity. Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association President Todd Spencer said it’s “an important step toward safer highways and a stronger, more professional trucking industry.”
Neither first-term Democratic Gov. Josh Stein or Paul Tine, state Division of Motor Vehicles commissioner, have been specific on corrective actions taken. They were the recipients of the Thursday letter from Administrator Derek Barrs of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association.
The state Division of Motor Vehicles, in an email response Monday to a question to Stein on what corrective actions are being taken, said, “The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles is aware of the letter from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regarding nondomiciled commercial driver licenses. NCDMV is committed to upholding safety and integrity in our licensing processes. We have been collaborating closely with our federal partners for several months to resolve these matters that are impacting many U.S. states.”
The response was not unique to TCS or other outlets it was sent.
Spencer said, “OOIDA and truckers across America applaud Secretary Duffy for responding to our concerns by taking substantial actions to crack down on the irresponsible issuance of non-domiciled CDLs in North Carolina.
“For too long, loopholes in this program have allowed unqualified drivers onto America’s highways, creating unnecessary safety risks for professional drivers and the motoring public alike. These enforcement actions will also remove bad actors from the road and restore accountability to the system.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, “North Carolina’s failure to follow the rules isn’t just shameful – it’s dangerous. I’m calling on state leadership to immediately remove these dangerous drivers from our roads and clean up their system.”
The auditing process has been ongoing throughout the second term of Republican President Donald Trump. Increased scrutiny of CDL licensure programs happened after triple-fatal crashes in August and October 66 days apart involving 18-wheelers in Florida and California.
For Congress, safety is paramount in the discussion. Collateral damage, however, includes American truckers losing jobs and experiencing wage reductions from less expensive labor invading their home soil.
The oversight of commercial driver’s licensing programs in 2025 resulted in 78 from North Carolina removed from a federal registry.
An eastern North Carolina Baptist church, the Head Start program and a community college are among the entities with involuntary closures of CDL training programs. Of the 3,015 training providers for commercial driver’s licenses removed from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Training Provider Registry, 61 in North Carolina were involuntary and 17 voluntary.
Another 86 were among the nationwide 4,554 put on notice for potential noncompliance.
