"The process for issuing these licenses is absolutely, 100 percent broken," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
He went on to single out California, as the Department of Transportation blocks non-citizens from obtaining CDLs.
"California gave (one driver) a CDL with endorsements to drive a passenger bus and a school bus that was valid for months after his legal presence in the U.S. had expired," Secretary Duffy said.
Non-citizens will now need an employment-based visa and must undergo a mandatory federal immigration status check.
The Secretary gave the California DMV 30 days to comply, or risk losing federal highway funds.
"It's yet to be seen how big of an impact it's going to be, but I think it's going to make a huge, maybe 20 percent or 25 percent, of our industry," Everett Yockey at the Advanced Career Institute in Fresno said. "We'll wait and see."
The Valley is home to thousands of truck drivers.
"I think it's going to impact the Punjabi community most," Yockey said. "Many of them sponsor and bring people here. Part of the Punjabi community is giving back."
Some drivers Action News spoke with in Madera said the new rules are harsh, telling us off camera that there are too many regulations as they try to work.
"Everything goes by truck," Yockey said. "Everything from groceries to lumber to hard goods. Anything that we have, that we buy, comes by truck."
The crackdown comes amid a worsening driver shortage, and it follows a crash that brought national attention when a non-citizen from India attempted an illegal U-turn on a Florida highway. Three people in a minivan died after hitting the truck's trailer.
Secretary Duffy says there have been many dangerous lapses in the legal licensing process, including in California, where the semi-truck driver was living.
"Over 25 percent of these licenses - They were issued illegally," the secretary said.
The California DMV did not respond to Action News' request for comment on Friday.
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