 "How Indian driver’s accident led to US decision to pause visas for foreign truckers")
The United States has said it will stop issuing worker visas to foreign truck drivers for now, citing safety issues and the need to safeguard jobs for Americans.
This decision comes days after Harjinder Singh , an Indian national, was charged with the deaths of three people in Florida after making an illegal U-turn.
It later emerged that Singh had entered the country illegally through the Mexico border.
The case has sparked anger over an illegal immigrant being involved in a crash that took American lives.
So, what does the new visa rule in the US mean? And what exactly happened in the Florida accident?
Let’s take a look:
US pauses visas for foreign truck drivers: What we know
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that the government has put a hold on issuing all work visas for commercial truck drivers.
He said the move was made over safety concerns and to protect jobs for American truckers.
“The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on US roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers,” Rubio wrote on X.
Effective immediately we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) August 21, 2025
The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers.
Notably, the Donald Trump administration has already taken several steps to deal with concerns about foreign truck drivers who do not speak English.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIn April, Trump signed an executive order to enforce a rule that requires commercial drivers in the US to meet English proficiency standards.
The rule on English proficiency had been part of US law for years, but Trump’s order overturned 2016 suggestion that inspectors should not take commercial drivers off the road if their only violation was poor English.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that not properly enforcing driver qualification standards creates serious safety risks and raises the chances of accidents.
In 2023, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) said that about 16 per cent of truck drivers in the US were born outside the country.
Florida crash: What happened? Who is Harjinder Singh?
The US government’s decision came after a crash in Florida where three Americans lost their lives.
Indian national Harjinder Singh was driving a tractor-trailer on the Florida Turnpike near Fort Pierce when he tried to make an illegal U-turn through an “Official Use Only” access point.
Singh suddenly steered left and attempted to cut across the median using the restricted pass, which is not meant for regular vehicles. His truck ended up blocking every lane of oncoming traffic.
Within moments, a minivan travelling at full speed rammed into the trailer and became trapped underneath. The collision was deadly.
(1) UPDATE: These are the alleged semi-truck drivers who k*lled three people while making a U-turn at an “Official Use Only” turn on the Florida Turnpike
— Unlimited L's (@unlimited_ls) August 15, 2025
The Florida Highway Patrol is describing the wreck as a homicide investigation pic.twitter.com/QqYhuidXoD
According to Treasure Coast Newspapers, three people were killed: a 37-year-old woman from Pompano Beach, a 30-year-old man from Florida City, and a 54-year-old man from Miami. They died on the spot, while the minivan’s driver was taken to the hospital but died soon after.
Singh and a passenger in the truck escaped without injury.
What drew attention was footage from a camera inside the truck. The video showed Singh appearing calm right after the crash. He can be seen shifting the truck into park and switching off the engine, as if nothing had happened.
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles later said Singh had entered the US illegally through the Mexico border in 2018 and had obtained a commercial driver’s licence in California.
The Department of Homeland Security added that Singh had been denied a work permit during Donald Trump’s first term but later secured one under Joe Biden’s administration.
The incident has sparked a political row between the Trump administration and California Governor Gavin Newsom, with both sides blaming each other.
Singh now faces three state charges of vehicular homicide along with immigration violations.
What does this new order mean for Indian drivers?
The US has temporarily stopped issuing new work visas for trucking jobs. This means Indian applicants for such roles may face delays or even rejections.
Even those who already have visas could come under review. The US has said it is carrying out ongoing checks on more than 55 million current visa holders, and any violations could result in visas being cancelled and deportation.
While the order does not target any one country, Indian drivers will also be impacted, particularly those with pending applications or plans to apply in the near future.
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