Up to 200,000 non-domiciled CDL drivers may eventually lose their jobs due to a significant regulation change affecting the U.S. trucking business. A non-domiciled CDL is a license opens truck driving jobs for foreign nationals who are legally authorized to work in the US, but who are not permanent residents. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently published a new federal rule that tightens eligibility standards for commercial driver’s licenses held by non-residents of the United States.

The final rule severely limits who is eligible for a non-domiciled CDL and goes into effect on March 16, 2026. The H-2A, H-2B, and E-2 visa holders are the only people who will be eligible under the new regulation. A significant section of the present driver pool is impacted by the rule’s elimination of the use of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) as a legitimate route to getting or renewing a CDL.

There are now about 200,000 non-domiciled CDL holders working in the US, according to FMCSA estimates. Up to 194,000 of those drivers might not be eligible for renewal under the new requirements, which means their licenses will be gradually revoked when they expire over the ensuing years. It is anticipated that between 30,000 and 40,000 drivers will leave each year during the five-year phase-out.

The stated purpose of the new rule is safety on the roads. Federal officials argue that prior rules, especially those pertaining to the use of EADs, permitted people to obtain CDLs without enough safety screening. The Department of Transportation emphasized the need to “restore integrity” to the CDL issuance process, citing fatal crashes involving non-domiciled drivers as a major contributing factor to the crackdown.

States are already feeling the effects of the rule’s implementation. States were told to examine their CDL programs in late 2025, and some, including California, have begun canceling licenses that were given incorrectly. States that are unable to comply with the new federal requirements must also completely stop issuing non-domiciled CDLs until they do.

The long-term impact will be a considerable decrease in the pool of available drivers, especially in industries like port drayage, even though current licenses are valid until they expire. As licenses expire, competition for company drivers may increase, and drivers may see wage increases. Despite regulators’ emphasis on safety and compliance, industry analysts caution that this could disrupt supply chains.