California is revoking approximately 17,000 commercial driver's licenses (CDLs) due to a federal mandate, impacting thousands of truck drivers in Bakersfield. The U.S. Department of Transportation stated that the CDLs no longer meet federal standards and will expire within 60 days. However, immigrant drivers argue that the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is mistaken and not adhering to their work permits.

Gurman Singh, a truck driver from India with 11 years of experience, received notice last month that his license will be revoked. Singh, a father of two, described the situation as a nightmare and is seeking litigation and assistance from civil groups.

"My life, my livelihood, everything, depends on CDL. How can I feed my family if I lost my CDL?" Singh said.

Dave Laut, president of the Bakersfield Trucking Association, reported receiving numerous calls from experienced drivers with clean records facing similar issues. Laut estimates that at least 5,000 drivers in the Bakersfield area have received CDL cancellation notices. He criticized the restrictions, which stem from deadly truck crashes involving foreign-born drivers, as unfair.

"Your skin color cannot tell you how safe you are or unsafe you are," Laut said. "Some people have been living here for 25 years. They came here when they were two years old, they have a DACA, so they’ve been driving for 25 years. I know a lot of guys like that. How are they unsafe overnight?"

Avie Nagra, CEO of Roadies Inc. Trucking Company in Bakersfield, said 20% of his fleet needed replacement after 60 drivers left the company in the past two months.

"This was an error made by the DMV. But who’s paying the price? Not the DMV. The DMV just issued the cancellation. Those individuals are paying the price for it," Nagra said.

Bakersfield Vice Mayor Manpreet Kaur, whose father was a truck driver, emphasized the broader economic impact of revoking CDLs.

"I feel that it was my job to advocate for this. And I worry about our economy. This is not just a truck-driving community issue. This is not just a Punjabi community issue. This is a dire economic issue for our region, our state and our country," Kaur said.

She noted that civil groups are sending letters to the California DMV to reverse the CDL cancellations and is pushing for change before the 60-day deadline in January.