TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A commercial truck driver charged with killing three people in a deadly crash in Florida in August had failed a commercial driver’s license (CDL) test 10 times over two months in 2023 in Washington state before ultimately being issued a license, according to a senior official in the Florida Attorney General’s Office.
Florida is using the case of Harjinder Singh, who is accused of being in the country illegally, to urge the nation’s highest court to permanently bar some states from issuing CDLs to people who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.
In a separate case this week, another semi-truck driver accused of being in the country illegally was charged with the deaths of three people in a crash on a Southern California freeway, renewing federal officials’ criticisms of immigrant drivers and concerns about who should be eligible to obtain CDLs.
### Failed Attempts to Obtain CDL
Florida’s investigation into Harjinder Singh revealed that the trucker failed the written test for a CDL in Washington state 10 times between March 10 and April 5, 2023, a senior official said. The official, who is not authorized to comment publicly on the ongoing investigation, provided the details on the condition of anonymity.
Singh, originally from India, lived in California and was initially issued a CDL in Washington before California also issued him one. Court filings show that Singh held a valid California CDL at the time of the crash.
A spokesperson for Washington’s Department of Licensing was not immediately available for comment. In California, all commercial truck drivers must pass a written test but may skip the driving test if they hold an out-of-state license with an equivalent classification, according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles website. State officials did not immediately respond to requests for further information.
### The Fatal Crash
Singh is accused of attempting an illegal U-turn from the northbound lanes of Florida’s Turnpike near Fort Pierce on August 12. A minivan behind Singh’s big rig was unable to stop and crashed into the truck, killing the minivan’s driver and two passengers. Singh and a passenger in his truck were unharmed.
He is currently held without bond at St. Lucie County Jail, near the crash location. His next court date is scheduled for November 13.
### Florida’s Legal Petition
Florida is petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to take up its case against California and Washington, urging the court to block states from issuing CDLs to people who are in the country illegally. Florida argues that the Western states have shown “open defiance of federal immigration laws” and failed to enforce public safety, asking the court to declare this a “public nuisance.”
Public nuisance typically addresses issues such as blighted homes, illegal drug activity, or dangerous animals, but has also been applied to pharmacies in the opioid crisis. If the Supreme Court accepts the case, Florida hopes it will establish a precedent restricting states from issuing CDLs to non-citizens or non-legal permanent residents. This ruling could also influence how conventional driver’s licenses are issued to immigrants, according to a senior Florida official.
### Separate California Crash
In a separate incident, Jashanpreet Singh was arrested after an eight-vehicle crash in Ontario, California, on Interstate 10 that killed three people and injured four others. He is accused of driving under the influence and causing the fiery crash.
The California Highway Patrol said westbound traffic had slowed when Singh’s tractor-trailer failed to stop, striking multiple vehicles and triggering a chain-reaction crash. Singh, from Yuba City, reportedly entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 via the southern border, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
### Federal Response and New Regulations
Following a series of fatal crashes involving immigrant truck drivers this year, the U.S. Department of Transportation tightened CDL requirements for noncitizens in September. New rules limit CDL eligibility to only three specific visa classes and require states to verify immigration status in a federal database. These licenses will be valid for up to one year unless the visa expires sooner.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and former President Donald Trump have criticized California’s policies since the Florida crash, emphasizing concerns about public safety and licensing abuses.
Speaking to Fox News, Duffy said there were “multiple failures” allowing Harjinder Singh to obtain his CDL. He noted Singh did not speak English and claimed he could not read road signs.
“The question becomes… how in the heck can you ever pass a test for a commercial driver’s license? You can’t do it but for fraud,” Duffy said.
The new regulations aim to make obtaining a CDL significantly harder for immigrants, tightening controls on who can legally operate large commercial vehicles in the United States.