A Texas Department of Public Safety officer has raised concerns about how foreign nationals are obtaining commercial driver’s licenses and operating commercial trucks on Texas roads.
On Monday, the Texas Senate Committee on Transportation held a hearing on commercial driver’s license fraud and concerns surrounding foreign drivers involved in serious crashes on Texas roadways.
During the hearing, DPS Officer Omar Villareal sounded the alarm bout how some foreign nationals are able to obtain commercial licenses that allow them to operate trucks in the United States.
Villareal gave an example involving a person from Colombia who crossed the border through Mexico and is living in Texas. He said the individual could obtain a Mexican commercial driver’s license through a third party.
“Texas law enforcement has to honor that CDL because the federal government says so. The state requires them to,” said Villareal. “He gets that CDL within a week after paying $3,000. He jumps in that seat of a dump truck next week and starts going to work without having any formal training.”
The U.S. recognizes commercial driver’s licenses issued by Mexico and Canada under federal reciprocity agreements. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says Mexican commercial driver’s licenses are recognized for operating commercial motor vehicles in the United States, provided they are issued by the Mexican federal government and meet the applicable requirements.
Villareal also told senators that fraudulent practices began in 2021 after Mexico started issuing digital commercial driver’s licenses, which he said allowed individuals from countries such as Pakistan and Russia to obtain Mexican licenses.
“The driver in the U.S., never a citizen of Mexico, would reach to a contact by word of mouth into the Mexican government wire money over and instantly would receive a digital Mexican license,” Villarreal testified. “We started seeing an upward trend in commercial vehicle crashes with these drivers.”
The hearing was held as lawmakers gather information ahead of the 90th Legislative Session, when legislators are expected to consider bills aimed at making Texas roads safer.
The 90th Legislative Session is scheduled to convene Jan. 12, 2027.
