President Donald Trump said his administration plans to remove undocumented truck drivers from US roads and replace them with military veterans who have driven heavy vehicles in service.

Speaking at the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit at the US Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Trump said veterans with that experience would be “automatically eligible” for a commercial driver’s licence (CDL) under the plan.

Also Read | Trump revives ‘public charge’ rule: Can Medicaid use affect your Green Card?

A sombre turn behind the steering wheel

Trump linked the announcement to the July 1 death of Pennsylvania State Police trooper Michael E. Pahira Jr., who was struck and killed by a commercial truck while inspecting another vehicle on Interstate 81.

The driver, Michael Bon, a Haitian national who entered the US in 2024, has been charged with vehicular homicide and involuntary manslaughter.

Trump said, “They can’t read signs. Many of them are on drugs or alcohol,” and added, “We’re going to replace them with proud American veterans.”

Who stands to lose if Trump’s CDL overhaul moves ahead?

The proposal has raised concern among Indian-origin truckers in the US, particularly Sikhs and Punjabis who are heavily represented in the sector.

About 150,000 Sikhs in the US work in trucking. The North American Punjabi Trucking Association estimates they make up around 40 per cent of West Coast drivers.

The wider policy shift comes amid a tougher federal approach to commercial driver licensing for non-citizens.

New rules introduced in March limited CDL eligibility for several non-citizen categories and led to roughly 200,000 immigrants having commercial licences revoked.

As of Thursday, the administration had not released an executive order, proposed regulation or implementation timeline for the veteran-first plan, although federal rules already allow some qualified service members and veterans a faster route to a CDL.

Also Read | Only three vessels cross Strait of Hormuz as Iran-US tensions rattle global oil shipping

FAQs

Q1: Why could Trump’s trucking policy affect Indian drivers in the US?

The proposal could impact many Indian-origin truckers because Sikhs and Punjabis form a significant share of the US trucking workforce.

Q2: What did Donald Trump propose for military veterans and commercial driving licences?

Trump said veterans with military truck-driving experience would be automatically eligible for commercial driver’s licences under his proposed plan.