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Truckers Warn ‘No Name’ Licenses Making America’s Roads More Deadly
A recent series of deadly crashes involving foreign drivers has sparked concerns over the ‘No Name Given’ commercial license loophole.
By Allan Stein
October 23, 2025
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.—A fully loaded semi-truck barreling down the interstate is like a 40-ton projectile on 18 wheels. In the hands of an untrained driver, it becomes a potential weapon, according to Richard, a truck driver from Oklahoma.
“They don’t stop on a dime, I’ll tell you that,” Richard said as he walked into the Little America truck stop off the I-40 in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Richard, bearded with long hair and a bandana, said he hasn’t been driving long. But like other truckers, he’s already seen plenty of foreign drivers behind the wheel of these huge trucks.
He doesn’t know who has had proper training and who hasn’t. What he does know is that he paid $4,300 for a six-week truck driving course where he learned the fundamentals of road safety.
Like growing numbers in the trucking industry, Richard is concerned, applauding a recent undercover effort to get illegal immigrant truck drivers off the road and out of his home state. Some of these drivers were “No Name Given” commercial license holders, meaning they are people from other countries certified without showing proper ID.
Such loopholes are now in the crosshairs of the Department of Transportation, following a federal review that found that some states have issued licenses to foreign drivers in error, and after a recent series of deadly crashes involving foreign drivers.
The rigors of obtaining a license are still fresh for Richard, who got his commercial driver’s license recently.
Most passed the tough course. Others did not, he said.
“Some people struggled with it. But it’s very thorough,” Richard, who didn’t want his last name used, told The Epoch Times.
“From what we learned in terms of safety, it’s just knowing who’s on the road.”
Richard said he supports stricter state and federal rules for anyone driving an 80,000-pound semi, because public safety is at risk.
A recent study by the trucking magazine Overdrive found there are about 60,000 active “non-domicile” commercial license holders who work but do not live in the United States.
The study was based on a detailed check of records in all 50 states.
The scene of a crash involving a semi and a minivan on Florida's Turnpike in St. Lucie County, Fla., on Aug. 12, 2025. St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office
On Sept. 29, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said that more than 125 illegal immigrants were caught during Operation Guardian, a focused three-day effort by state and federal immigration officers along I-40 in western Oklahoma.
Most of the people arrested during the operation came from countries such as India, Uzbekistan, China, Russia, Georgia, Turkey, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Mauritania.
The operation stopped several illegal immigrants using truck driver’s licenses given out by states that shield those who are in the United States illegally.
On Oct. 10, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Oklahoma authorities arrested a man from India who entered the country illegally in 2023 and was released under the Biden administration.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol pulled over the driver for a check at a truck scale on I-40 on Sept. 23 as part of Operation Guardian.
When the troopers asked for identification, the man gave them a New York commercial license with the entry “No Name Given Anmol.”
“If New York wants to hand out CDLs to illegal immigrants with ‘No Name Given,’ that’s on them,” Stitt said in a statement.
“The moment they cross into Oklahoma, they answer to our laws. This is about keeping Oklahomans safe.”
In a statement, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, “Allowing illegal aliens to obtain commercial driver’s licenses to operate 18-wheelers and transport hazardous materials on America’s roads is reckless and incredibly dangerous to public safety.”
McLaughlin identified New York as a major culprit and said the state is failing to verify whether people applying to drive 18-wheelers are U.S. citizens.
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From The Epoch Times
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