State Government Reacts To Federal Threat to Pull Transportation Funding

(KNSI) – The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Driver and Vehicle Services admits that an audit earlier this year found some Commercial Driver’s licenses were given in error to foreign applicants.

While it is not illegal for someone in what is known as the non-domicile category to obtain a CDL, they must prove they are proficient in English, can complete all required driving tests behind the wheel, and prove they can safely operate a large truck. In a letter responding to federal threats to pull $30 billion in transportation funds, Commissioner Pong Xiong downplayed the issue. He notes only 2,117 non-domiciled CDLs were issued out of 212,327 in total.

Xiong also added that the federal government recently tightened standards for CDLs after a truck driver made an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike in August and killed three. Investigators discovered the driver did not understand basic English before doing the deadly maneuver. He insists those standards were not in place for the DVS audit.

DVS says it has agreed to halt the issuance of all non-domiciled CDLs while it reviews its practices. It will be required to submit a plan to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Minnesota was not the only state to receive the threat from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

House GOP Transportation Chair Jon Koznick had a different reaction. In a statement, he says, “It’s alarming that the Walz Administration has put Minnesotans at risk by issuing commercial driver’s licenses to people who aren’t eligible. It has failed at one of the most basic and core functions of government. Minnesota families expect that people driving the trucks beside them on the highway are qualified, and companies across Minnesota rely on the accuracy of the issuance of CDLs.”

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