By Asia Samachar | United States |
Thousands of immigrant truck drivers, many of them Punjabi Sikhs, have filed a class-action lawsuit against the California Department of Motor Vehicles, alleging that the revocation of their commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) violates state law and threatens their livelihoods.
Los Angeles Times rpeorted that DMV issued 60-day cancellation notices beginning Nov. 6 to roughly 17,000 drivers after a federal audit concluded that their licenses were tied to immigration documents that had expired or were set to expire beyond the drivers’ authorised period of stay in the United States. Since then, the number of affected drivers has risen to more than 20,000.
The lawsuit, filed by the Sikh Coalition and the Asian Law Caucus on behalf of five CDL holders, argues that the situation arose from clerical errors by the DMV. Under California law, the plaintiffs contend, the agency is required either to correct the expiration dates itself or allow drivers to reapply without losing their licenses.
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Munmeeth Kaur, legal director of the Sikh Coalition, warned that failure to halt the revocations could trigger widespread unemployment and disrupt supply chains during a critical period. “The clerical errors threatening their livelihoods are of the DMV’s own making,” she was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
Punjabi Sikh drivers form a significant segment of the US trucking workforce. Of the estimated 750,000 Punjabi Sikhs living in the country, about 150,000 work in trucking, with a heavy concentration on the West Coast.
The controversy has intensified amid federal pressure on states to tighten licensing standards. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has criticised California for what federal officials describe as lax enforcement, while industry leaders such as J.B. Hunt have warned that stricter rules could remove hundreds of thousands of drivers nationwide over the coming years.
The case now places the future of thousands of immigrant truckers — and the stability of key logistics networks — before the courts.
In a social media update, the Sikh Coalition said that its Sikh Trucker Assistance Phone Line will provide details on issues like policies around English language proficiency and what kinds of immigrants are allowed licenses.
“If you are a Sikh trucker who has faced discrimination on the basis of your Sikh identity, call this confidential phone line and leave a message,” it said.
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