WASHINGTON — A new bill introduced Thursday would require the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to audit how every state issues non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses, escalating congressional scrutiny of licensing programs that federal regulators say have allowed improperly issued CDLs to remain active.
Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., introduced the Strengthening Transportation Oversight and Preventing Improper Licensing Act, or STOP Improper Licensing Act, on August 20. The legislation has been introduced in Congress but has not become law.
Under Hageman’s proposal, FMCSA would be required to review a random sample of non-domiciled CDLs issued in every state, specifically examining whether licenses were issued without verification of lawful immigration status or remained valid beyond the expiration of a driver’s qualifying status.
The bill would require FMCSA to publicly release its findings and report the results to Congress. States found out of compliance would receive 60 days to correct deficiencies, while states refusing to comply could lose FMCSA funding.
The legislation follows more than a year of federal action surrounding non-domiciled CDL issuance.
The U.S. Department of Transportation launched a nationwide review after officials said FMCSA discovered systemic compliance problems in several state licensing programs. In September 2025, Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced emergency restrictions on non-domiciled CDL eligibility after the department said its audit uncovered licenses issued to drivers who were ineligible or whose CDLs remained valid after their lawful presence had expired.
Those restrictions were followed by a final FMCSA rule announced in February 2026 and effective in March that substantially narrowed eligibility for non-domiciled commercial licenses. DOT said the revised standards were intended to prevent drivers who had not undergone certain federal immigration and screening processes from receiving commercial driving credentials.
The federal government has already taken enforcement action against individual states.
In November 2025, DOT said California acknowledged that approximately 17,000 non-domiciled CDLs did not comply with federal requirements, and notices were issued informing affected license holders that their credentials would expire. Subsequent FMCSA review identified more than 20,000 active California non-domiciled CDLs that federal officials said violated federal regulations.
Hageman argues that continued federal oversight is necessary even after the 2026 rule change.
“Wyoming truckers earn every credential they carry. They train, test, and follow the law,” Hageman said in announcing the legislation.
She said her bill would require regulators to examine state licensing records and address improperly issued commercial licenses.
The legislation would transform FMCSA’s recent state-by-state investigations into a recurring nationwide auditing requirement established by federal law if Congress ultimately approves the measure.
The proposal has already received support from several major trucking organizations.
American Trucking Associations Senior Vice President of Legislative Affairs Alex Rosen said requiring FMCSA to audit non-domiciled CDL issuance would provide additional accountability and reinforce confidence that CDL holders meet federal requirements.
Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association President Todd Spencer also endorsed the proposal, saying the legislation could help identify compliance failures in state licensing programs. The Wyoming Trucking Association and Truckload Carriers Association also issued statements supporting the measure.
FMCSA has said its broader non-domiciled CDL crackdown was motivated partly by fatal crashes involving drivers who would no longer qualify under the revised rules. The agency said in February that at least 17 fatal crashes resulting in 30 deaths during 2025 involved non-domiciled drivers who would be ineligible under the new standards.
That figure is an FMCSA determination and does not mean every non-domiciled CDL holder is unqualified or unlawfully licensed.
Non-domiciled CDLs historically have provided a pathway for certain people who are not permanent residents of a state or the United States but possess qualifying federal authorization to obtain commercial driving privileges.
The current federal rules significantly restrict who can qualify and require states that cannot comply with the revised requirements to stop issuing affected credentials until their programs meet federal standards.
Hageman’s legislation would address a different part of the system: whether states are actually following those federal requirements once a license is issued.
Her office says the bill would require follow-up audits for states with serious compliance problems and authorize the loss of FMCSA funding for states that refuse to correct deficiencies.
The STOP Improper Licensing Act is one of several trucking-related measures Hageman has promoted, including proposals addressing English-language proficiency for commercial drivers, CDL testing, chameleon carriers and interstate driving opportunities for younger CDL holders.
The measure must still move through the congressional committee process and pass both the House and Senate before it could be sent to the president.
For trucking, the significance of the proposal is that the federal government’s intensified scrutiny of non-domiciled CDLs may be moving beyond executive-branch enforcement and into legislation designed to make nationwide state audits a permanent requirement.
