State officials have pushed back against Duffy’s declaration, noting that the drivers who will lose their licenses are not in the country illegally and have some form of work permit from the federal government.
“Once again, Sean ‘Road Rules’ Duffy fails to share the truth — spreading easily disproven falsehoods in a sad and desperate attempt to please his dear leader,” said Brandon Richards, spokesperson for Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Labor groups, however, have criticized the state’s decision to revoke these licenses.
“They should have pushed back harder on the federal government,” said Shane Gusman, legislative director for Teamsters California, adding that in the letters that the DMV sent out to truckers, it justified its actions by pointing to the Trump administration’s new rules.
But on Thursday, a federal judge issued an emergency stay blocking the White House from enforcing these regulations until the courts reach a final decision about their legality. With this latest update, California should rescind the letters it has already sent out, Gusman said: “Those federal rules are not in effect right now. … There’s no authority for the letter.”
Trucks leave the Port of Oakland on Sept. 28, 2023. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)
Newsom’s office did not respond to questions from KQED on how it plans to move forward while the federal rules remain frozen.
But not taking action to bring these drivers back into the workforce could have serious consequences for the state’s economy, Gusman said.
“If you just look at any one of our major ports where cargo is coming in and out, it is a largely immigrant workforce from the driver’s side of things,” he said.
And consumers could potentially see higher prices in the future.
“When you have a pool of drivers pulled out, the trucking industry will have to balance it out,” said Aboudi of the AB Trucking Company. “That is going to weaken our trucking system in the state, applying demand, and of course, costs will go up.”