The Biden administration’s push to bring in thousands of foreign truck drivers is raising concerns as the industry faces a growing number of safety risks, licensing fraud, and declining pay for American drivers. New policies have led to an unprecedented surge in CDL issuances, with some states reporting numbers far beyond what their training programs can realistically support.
The Department of Homeland Security recently approved nearly 65,000 additional H-2B visas, allowing trucking companies to hire even more foreign workers. The administration has framed the move as necessary to meet labor demands, but industry experts argue it is a way to flood the market with cheaper labor while forcing down wages.
At 6:38 pm today on the @RodandGregShow on @1059KNRS – @GordMagill, an author and career trucker joins the show to discuss his piece for @theblaze in which he says foreign born truckers are depressing wages for American truckers and causing problems on the nation’s highways.
— The Rod and Greg Show (@RodandGregShow) March 12, 2025
Trucking safety advocates have pointed to licensing trends that show a drastic increase in CDL issuances in select states. In 2022, Oregon granted nearly 100,000 new CDLs — more than 75 times its usual annual number. In another instance, South Carolina issued over 77,000 CDLs in a single year, a massive jump that has raised questions about whether proper training and testing requirements are being followed.
At the same time, reports of truck crashes involving foreign-born drivers have been rising. In several cases, drivers involved in fatal collisions required translators in court because they could not communicate in English. In one incident, a driver operating a semi-truck in West Virginia pushed another vehicle off a bridge, killing the motorist inside.
Changes at the state level have further eased restrictions on foreign drivers. Arkansas lawmakers recently altered CDL requirements to allow non-residents to qualify using foreign-issued learner’s permits, eliminating past safeguards that required proof of residency.
Alongside safety concerns, freight fraud and cargo theft are becoming increasingly common. Scammers posing as legitimate trucking companies have been linked to cases of stolen loads, fraudulent brokerage practices, and missing payments, further complicating an already strained industry.
