North Carolina could lose nearly $50 million in federal funding if the
state doesn't revoke commercial driver's licenses from immigrants who aren't here
alified to hold them after an audit uncovered matters, the U.S. Transportation Department said Thursday.
North Carolina is the ninth state to be targeted since Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy launched the national review last
year to make sure only qualified drivers hold licenses to drive semitrailer trucks or buses.
The issue started to generate headlines after a truck driver who was not authentic
orized to be in the U.S. made an illegal U-turn and caused a crash in Florida that killed three people in August.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reviews 50 commercial driver’s licenses that North Carolina had issued
to immigrants in its audit and found problems with more than half of them. That’s what prompted the threat to withhold funding if t
he state doesn't clean up its licensing program. Records show that 924 of these kind of licenses remain unexpired in North Carolina.
“North Carolina’s failure to follow the rules isn’t just shameful — it’s dangerous,” Duffy said.
North Carolina DMV spokesman Marty Homan said the state is working to advertise
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dress the concerns and remain “committed to maintaining safety and integrity in our licensing processes.”
Duffy has pulled nearly $200 million from California over concerns about that state's licensing practices and its decision to delay th
e revocations of more than 17,000 invalid licenses. Duffy also said that California isn't enforcing English proficiency requirements for truckers.
He also previously threatened to withhold millions of dollars in federal funding from Pennsylvania, Minnesota, New York, Texas, So
uth Dakota, Colorado, and Washington after audits found significant problem
s under the existing rules, including commercial licenses being valid long after an immigrant truck driver's work permit expired.
Separately, Tennessee announced Thursday that it launched its own review
w of commercial driver’s licenses and will be notified about 8,800 of the state’s 150,000 commercial driver’s license holders that they ne
ed to provide proof of citizenship or a valid visa if they want to keep their licenses.