Q&A – The CDL Scandal & The Illegal Immigrant’s Employer
Each day I feature a listener question sent by one of these methods.
Email: brianmudd@iheartmedia.com
Social: @brianmuddradio
iHeartRadio: Use the Talkback feature – the microphone button on our station page in the iHeart app.
Today’s entry: Two talkback entries:
- What upsets me, Brian, is I have a CDL. Anytime I need to change anything on my CDL, I have to take my birth certificate. I'm 68 years old. How long has that been? Anyway, you know, and to change anything on my CDL, and they're just handing them out like candy to other people and. That that upsets me.
- Hey Brian, love the show. Listen every day. Hey, listen, I appreciate your updates on the turbine traffic car guy, but I haven't heard and I'm wondering who did he work for? Did he own the truck or did he work for somebody? and what's the situation as far as the liability and all that kind of stuff? Thanks, buddy. Have a great day.
Bottom Line: The story of Harjinder Singh, the illegal immigrant who’d been granted a CDL by California and Washington state who recently killed three Floridians while making an illegal U-Turn on the Turnpike, is one that’s produced daily developments this week. Each one of those developments has introduced more questions than provided answers. Those developments included these...
We’d learned that Singh was an Indian national who entered Mexico to cross the Southern border illegally in 2018. When he was apprehended by Border Patrol, Singh was set for immediate deportation but claimed “fear” of returning to India and a judge let him stay for a $5,000 bond while his asylum case was processed (which still hasn’t been resolved). He then applied for a work permit, but the Trump administration rejected it. In 2021, with Joe Biden as president, he applied again and he got one. He then used that federal work permit to apply for a CDL which he was given in California and Washington state. And the newest wrinkle was that Singh needed an interpreter to communicate with authorities prompting an English and road sign proficiency test – which must both be passed to obtain a CDL. Singh scored a 17 (out of 100%) on his English test and a 25 on his road sign test.
Those revelations prompted a federal investigation into the CDL practices in both states as it’s not possible for Singh to have legally obtained a commercial driver’s license from either state. Most recently Singh has been extradited to Florida to face charges in the death of the three Floridians. The investigations into practices in California and Washington will take time but hold the potential for bombshell revelations and insight into what happened in Singh’s case but also potentially other situations that haven’t produced fatal outcomes as of yet. Without knowing more, here’s a little food for thought. If both California and Washington state unlawfully issued a CDL to an illegal immigrant, what are the odds that Singh is the only one and how likely is it that those two blue sanctuary states are the only two states engaged in unlawful CDL issuance. There’s yet another one we’ve now learned as well and it involves yet another blue state that didn’t adhere to the law.
We’ve learned that on July 3rd, in New Mexico, Singh was pulled over and cited for speeding but that he wasn’t administered an English Language Proficiency assessment during that stop as is required under law. Had they done so, Singh’s fraudulent CDL situation would have been identified, and he’d have never made that fatal trip to Florida. As a result of this additional finding, New Mexico is also under federal investigation. And that brings us to address today’s two questions.
One of the more recent developments in the case of Singh is that we’ve learned who his employer was. It’s White Hawk Carriers. They’re a California-based trucking company with an already checkered recent history. Records show that the company’s trucks have produced 25 safety violations within the most recent 24 safety inspections they’ve undertaken and have had two drivers caught driving on suspended CDL’s within the past year. This week, following the developments with Singh, the company has had its ability to be insured revoked by the U.S. Department of Transportation. This puts White Hawk out of business outside of California. Also, in regards to potential liability in the death of the three Floridians, it’s likely to be considerable. The extent of the liability will be determined by the findings of the investigation.
As for the frustrations of our trucker friend who’s frustrated by his perception that CDL’s have been issued more freely than they used to be... He’s potentially on to something. The total number of active CDL’s increased at an annualized rate of 0.8% last decade (2010-2019). Through the first half of the current decade (2020-2024) CDL growth has paced 2% per year. Now some of this, especially in 2020 and 2021, can likely be explained by pandemic era policies which resulted in massive job losses during lockdowns and many people scrambling for new employment. Obviously, trucking was essential, and thriving during the lockdowns, so many likely gravitated towards the profession that perhaps wouldn’t have without the pandemic.
However, for the growth rate over the course of five years to be 250% higher for CDL issuance than it had prior, may indicate that some states have been playing fast and loose with the issuance of CDLs. After all, even if you want to drive commercially, it doesn’t mean you qualify to drive commercially. A certain segment of the population would never pass a CDL test when properly applied. As we’ve seen in the case of Singh, two large states, including the largest in the country, issued a CDL to someone who didn’t come even remotely close to legally qualifying for the license.
If in fact Singh’s case isn’t isolated, this situation will hopefully prove to be a turning point in the unlawful practices of non-compliant states. The federal investigation can help ensure that’s the case.