Deadly Crash Leads to Temporary Pause of Work Visas for Commercial Truck Drivers Seeking H-2B, E-2, or EB-3 Classification

On August 21, 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the State Department is temporarily pausing the issuance of work visas for foreign nationals seeking employment as commercial truck drivers in the U.S.

“Increasing numbers of foreign drivers behind the wheels of large tractor-trailers on America’s roads are putting lives at risk and threatening the jobs of American truckers,” Rubio stated in a post on X.

The likely reason behind this drastic move is a deadly highway crash that occurred in the state of Florida, involving a commercial truck driver who made an illegal U-turn killing at least three people.

Federal authorities claim that the driver entered the United States illegally, did not speak English, and held a limited-term commercial driver’s license from the state of California. According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), the federal government confirmed the driver’s legal presence in the United States when it approved his commercial driver’s license in 2024.

Earlier this year, President Trump signed an executive order directing the enforcement of a rule requiring commercial drivers in the U.S. to meet English proficiency standards, with violators subject to being taken out of service. Based on an internal investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation, the driver failed to establish English proficiency “providing correct responses to just two of 12 verbal questions and only accurately identifying one of four highway traffic signs.”

The American Trucking Associations has since spoken out in support of the temporary pause, calling for stricter regulation in the issuance of commercial driver’s licenses to non-US citizens stating that the process mandates “serious scrutiny, including the enforcement of entry-level driver training standards.”

The organization urged the implementation of stronger entry-level driver training standards and expressed ongoing concern that fraudulent and non-compliant entities continue to push commercial driver license applicants through the system with little to no training.

What visa applicants are affected by the pause?

The pause in visa processing applies to applicants seeking to operate commercial trucks in the H-2B, E-2, and EB-3 visa classifications.

While there is no direct pathway to obtain a work visa as a commercial truck driver, the majority of foreign trucker drivers in the U.S. typically go through the H-2B visa process, requiring employment sponsorship.

The pause does not affect the issuance of B1/B2 visas, which most third-country-national drivers in Canada use to enter the United States.

When will the pause be lifted?

A spokesperson for the State Department said the pause is being conducted in order to allow the administration to carry out a “comprehensive and thorough review” of the federal government’s system for screening and vetting foreigners seeking work visas to operate commercial trucks.

No specific timeline on when the pause would be lifted was given, but the spokesperson said the halt in processing would last until the State Department — along with the Labor Department and Homeland Security Department — completes the review of its process for issuing work visas to truckers and implements any necessary changes.

The goal of the review, the State Department spokesperson said, is to ensure every driver operating a commercial truck in the U.S. is “properly qualified,” which includes being able to speak English proficiently.

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