Republican leaders have recently warned that more than half of North Carolina’s commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) were issued illegally to foreign nationals. The claim, posted by the Republican National Committee (RNC) on September 2, was based on a narrow sample and does not reflect the full state record.
What the data actually show
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) examined a sample of 50 CDLs that had been issued to non‑citizens. In that sample, 27 licenses – 54% – failed to meet federal requirements. The RNC extrapolated that percentage to the entire state, but the sample represented only a tiny fraction of the more than 325,000 active CDLs in North Carolina.
When the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) conducted a comprehensive review of all licenses issued to non‑citizens, it found 8,540 – about 2.6% of the total CDL pool – were held by non‑citizens. Of those, 1,149 licenses – roughly 0.35% of all CDLs – contained administrative errors. None of the licenses were issued to individuals who were in the United States illegally.
Nature of the errors
The primary problem involved mismatches between a driver’s license expiration date and the expiration of their authorized work status. In more than 900 cases, the DMV had issued a CDL that remained valid longer than the driver’s legal right to work in the United States. In the remaining cases, the agency failed to verify legal status before granting the license.
When the DMV identified an error, it downgraded the driver’s CDL and mailed a notice requiring the driver to appear at a DMV office within 20 days to resolve the issue, or risk cancellation of the license.
Federal response and corrective action
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, a member of the Trump administration, warned that the state could lose $50 million in federal transportation funding if the deficiencies were not corrected. After the DMV’s thorough review and a plan to address the errors, the FMCSA approved the state’s corrective measures on July 21, confirming that federal funds for North Carolina’s transportation projects are no longer at risk.
In a statement, Secretary Duffy praised North Carolina’s “swift action” and noted that the state’s cooperation demonstrates a commitment to safety on the nation’s highways.
RNC’s mischaracterization
After the fact‑check was released, the RNC sent an email crediting the Trump administration for the changes, claiming that “Roy Cooper’s Democrat buddies caved to Republicans’ pressure and cleaned up their act.” While the administration’s involvement was indeed instrumental, the RNC’s original statistic was misleading because it was drawn from a limited sample rather than the full DMV data set.
Fact‑checking organizations have rated the RNC’s claim as false. The accurate figure – 0.35% of all CDLs issued incorrectly to non‑citizens – underscores that the problem, while real, is far smaller than the RNC suggested.
Why this matters for North Carolinians
Ensuring that commercial driver’s licenses are issued only to legally authorized drivers protects public safety and preserves vital federal funding for road projects across the state. The collaborative effort between the North Carolina DMV and the Trump administration’s transportation department demonstrates effective governance and a commitment to upholding federal standards.
Voters and residents can take confidence from the fact that the state has addressed the identified deficiencies and that federal oversight continues to safeguard the integrity of the licensing system.
Original reporting: WRAL Raleigh — read the source article.
