DOT Investigating Fatal Crash Involving Undocumented Driver
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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is in which a truck driven by an undocumented immigrant who had obtained commercial driver licenses from California and Washington collided with a passenger vehicle, killing three people.
Per a Florida State Police report, in the Aug. 12 crash truck driver Harjinder Singh is alleged to have “recklessly, and without regard for the safety of others, attempted to execute a U-Turn utilizing an unauthorized location. As a result of his actions, the three occupants of the mini-van are now deceased.” The in St. Lucie County.
State troopers with assistance from federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents determined that Singh in 2018 entered the United States illegally by crossing the Mexico border.
However, California in July 2024 issued Singh a limited-term/non-domiciled CDL. FMCSA is investigating the issuance of this CDL to determine if it was issued in accordance with federal regulations. A year earlier, Washington state issued him a regular full-term CDL. According to DOT, asylum seekers or individuals without legal status are ineligible for this type of license.
It’s unclear if the CDL from Washington was active at the time of the incident. Federal regulations .
“Non-enforcement and radical immigration policies have turned the trucking industry into a lawless frontier, resulting in unqualified foreign drivers improperly acquiring licenses to operate 40-ton vehicles,” Duffy said Aug. 19. “We will use every tool at our disposal to hold these states and bad actors accountable. … The families of the deceased deserve justice.”
(St. Lucie County via Google Maps)
Two days after the crash, investigators from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration began an on-site compliance investigation on the premises of Singh’s employer, White Hawk Carriers, in Ceres, Calif., south of Modesto.
During the initial phase of the investigation, FMCSA reviewed driver qualification files, obtained in-cab and forward-facing video footage of the crash, and conducted interviews with personnel including Singh. Investigators administered an English Language Proficiency assessment in accordance with FMCSA guidance, which the driver failed. He provided correct responses to just two of 12 verbal questions and accurately answered only one of four highway traffic signs.
RELATED:More Than 1,200 Truck Drivers Fail English-Language Tests
It is not known if he was administered the ELP after the Florida crash.
What is known, per DOT data, is that White Hawk as of July 25 had DOT out-of-service ratings of 23.4% for vehicles and 13.4% for drivers, both higher than national averages.
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“We support into the company and driver involved,” said American Trucking Associations Chief Operating Officer Dan Horvath. “While we won’t speculate ahead of the findings, we are confident this process will shed light on what led to this tragedy and help answer many critical questions.”
The day after the crash, Singh and his unidentified male traveling companion in the truck flew from Florida to Sacramento, Calif. after obtaining an arrest warrant from Florida.
Per DOT, Singh on July 3 was issued a speeding ticket and received a roadside inspection from New Mexico State Police. There is no indication an ELP assessment was administered. The agency indicated that New Mexico has not yet begun enforcing ELP as an out-of-service condition despite its mandatory reinstatement began nationally June 25.
“If states had followed the rules, this driver would never have been behind the wheel and three precious lives would still be with us,” Duffy said. “This crash was a preventable tragedy directly caused by reckless decisions and compounded by despicable failures.”
“Non-enforcement and radical immigration policies have turned the trucking industry into a lawless frontier," Duffy said. (Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg)
Horvath added, “This driver’s blatant disregard for highway safety and the rules of the road makes clear he should never have been behind the wheel to begin with. Initial reports from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles that the driver was in the U.S. illegally only raise more questions about how and why he was able to obtain a commercial driver’s license in the first place — questions that the state of California must answer for.”
California and Washington are among 19 states that . The others are Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and Virginia. The District of Columbia does, as well.
“By blocking all lanes of the highway with his truck, Singh caused a brutal wreck, instantly killing three innocent people and leaving Florida families shattered,” . DHS and ICE “lodged a federal arrest detainer for criminal illegal alien Harjinder Singh following his arrest for three counts of vehicular homicide.” The immigration detainer will ensure Singh remains in custody after his state prosecution.
“This detainer ensures he will be transferred to ICE custody the moment his criminal case concludes,” DHS said.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in a post on X said DHS and USDOT will work “to root out and prevent illegal aliens from obtaining these licenses from sanctuary jurisdictions that put American drivers and passengers in danger.”
3 innocent people were killed in Florida because Gavin Newsom’s California DMV issued an illegal alien a Commercial Driver’s License.
This gut wrenching tragedy should have never happened.
My team at will work with to root out and prevent illegal aliens from… — Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem)
Noem and California Gov. Gavin Newsom sparred on X over the driver having a California-issued CDL.
“[Three] innocent people were killed in Florida because Gavin Newsom’s California DMV issued an illegal alien a Commercial Driver’s License,” she tweeted. “This gut-wrenching tragedy should have never happened.”
Newsom’s press office retorted on X that an individual must have legal status in California to obtain a CDL. It also posted a graphic pointing out that Singh entered the U.S. .
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