Last Update:
05/29/2026
Staying on top of compliance isn’t just about monitoring your vehicles; it’s about ensuring you aren’t caught in the crossfire of state-level credentialing failures. On December 22, 2025, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced a severe ultimatum against the State of Colorado: immediately revoke illegally issued non-domiciled Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs) or face the withholding of $24 million in federal highway funding and the potential decertification of the state’s entire CDL program.
In October 2025, a nationwide USDOT audit uncovered severe noncompliance within Colorado’s non-domiciled CDL program. Despite receiving a notice of non-compliance, federal officials report Colorado has “slow-walked” the necessary actions to purge the system of unqualified drivers.
According to the official administrative briefing, the core findings of the Colorado audit revealed:
Massive Scale of Noncompliance: Approximately 22% of Colorado’s non-domiciled CDLs were issued illegally.
Prohibited Issuances: Many of these licenses were given to Mexican nationals—a practice explicitly prohibited under federal regulations. Colorado officials admitted this was the result of a 2016 statewide policy decision to disregard federal law.
Egregious Expirations: The state allowed non-domiciled CDL expiration dates to exceed drivers’ lawful presence documents, effectively allowing individuals to drive 80,000-pound trucks on American roadways long after their legal authorization to remain in the U.S. had expired.
With Colorado’s CDL program under intense federal scrutiny and facing the threat of total decertification, motor carriers operating with non-domiciled drivers licensed in Colorado must take the following proactive steps immediately:
Audit Your Colorado Drivers: Do not assume a valid-looking physical CDL means your driver is legal. Immediately cross-reference your non-domiciled Colorado drivers’ CDLs with their actual federal visa status, Form I-94, and legal expiration dates.
Prepare for Immediate Revocations: Colorado’s Division of Motor Vehicles has paused the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs and will be forced to send out cancellation notices to avoid losing federal funding. Prepare for abrupt, immediate license revocations and have backup routing plans in place.
Enforce English-Language Proficiency: Ensure all drivers comply with FMCSA’s English-language proficiency (ELP) requirements. Drivers failing these standards during roadside inspections are being placed out-of-service nationwide.
Federal authorities have made it clear they will not tolerate state-level delays when it comes to the safety of American roadways.
If your fleet employs a driver whose Colorado CDL is revoked as part of this federally mandated purge, and they are caught behind the wheel, they will be placed out-of-service (OOS) immediately at the nearest weigh station or inspection point. The resulting freight delays, towed equipment, liability risks, and federal fines for your operation will be severe.
Do not wait for a state notification that may be delayed by bureaucratic gridlock. Audit your fleet’s hiring and compliance protocols today to ensure your operations keep moving smoothly and legally.
Source References:
To read the full administrative announcement, visit the official FMCSA Newsroom Release.
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