NV joins suit as Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda targets truck drivers

The Trump administration has threatened to withhold $10 million in funding to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators if states do not comply. The AAMVA is the private nonprofit that operates the Commercial Driver’s License Information System (CDLIS) used by states, and $10 million in withheld funds could result in the shuttering of the system, according to Ford’s office.

“The Trump administration cannot strong-arm states into turning over millions of drivers’ private information without justification or adequate safeguards,” said Ford in a statement Thursday. “My office is taking action to protect Nevadans’ privacy and stop this unlawful federal overreach.”

The lawsuit notes the Trump administration has similarly sought personal identifying information from state-maintained voter rolls and databases for food stamps and Medicaid. Those demands, which have routinely been blocked by courts, are driven by conspiracy theories over non-citizens.

The CDLIS “is not and never was intended for immigration enforcement,” argues this newest lawsuit.

Niskanen Center, a Washington think tank, has described the entire effort as “a de facto immigration raid.”

But supporters of the Trump administration’s approach believe the federal government should have access to the information and argue it is a safety issue.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulates all trucking companies, Nevada Trucking Association CEO Paul Enos told the Nevada Current in an interview. “I think that’s info they need to have. … We want to make sure anyone operating here is qualified and legal to drive.”

The trucking association on Friday released a statement saying it strongly opposes the state’s participation in the lawsuit, saying it “undermines non-domiciled CDL safety reforms.”

After being thwarted by courts in an attempt to act through executive order, the FMCSA earlier this year issued a new rule tightening visa standards and adding onerous steps for non-domiciled CDL drivers. The rule is expected to result in 200,000 drivers nationwide losing their credentials. Many of them hold valid work authorization as asylum seekers or recipients of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). They will lose their CDL once their current licenses expire, if they have not already.

According to the Nevada Trucking Association, only 9 of 994 previously issued non-domiciled CDLs in Nevada remained eligible under the new federal standards.

However, all of those drivers will lose their CDL once their current license expires because Nevada opted to stop issuing or renewing non-domiciled CDLs altogether. Other states, including Oregon, have also done so.

Nevada DMV Director Tonya Laney in a February press release described the decision as the agency “reinforcing credential integrity, protecting federal highway funding and aligning with national commercial licensing requirements.”

The Nevada DMV did not respond by publication time to the Current’s request to elaborate on that decision and provide any available data on when exactly the nearly 1,000 non-domiciled CDLs will expire.

The Trump administration in justifying the crackdown has pointed to the 17 fatal trucking accidents in 2025 that involved non-domiciled CDL drivers. Those incidents make up less than 1% of all trucking accidents, critics have rebutted.

Labor groups have argued in previous court cases that banning non-domiciled CDLs will devastate workforces and lead to worse safety outcomes on roadways.

To help offset the loss of non-domiciled drivers, the Trump administration has launched a “Freedom Haulers” initiative aimed at getting veterans into the trucking industry.

Prior to the rule change, national and state trucking industry leaders warned of job shortages. The Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED has invested in CDL driver programs in the state as recently as February, citing strong employer demand.

Enos of the Nevada Trucking Association said the focus on driver shortages shifted post-covid pandemic as federal dollars funded what he calls “CDL mills” — trucking schools that graduated unqualified drivers. He said unsavory companies have popped up and hired the unqualified drivers for lower wages, undercutting the market and skirting safety protections like hours of service limits.

“Because of the state of the economy and the huge number of trucking companies that came into the market post-covid, the truck driver shortage isn’t the problem,” he added.

The diesel technician shortage is more acute, Enos added.