TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A commercial truck driver who is charged with killing three people in a deadly crash in Florida in August had failed a commercial driver’s license test 10 times in the span of two months in 2023 in Washington state, before he was ultimately issued a license, according to a senior official in the Florida Attorney General’s Office.
Florida is using the case of Harjinder Singh, who is accused of being in the country illegally, to urge the nation’s highest court to permanently bar some states from issuing commercial driver’s licenses or CDLs to people who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.
In a separate case, another semitruck driver accused of being in the country illegally was charged with the killings of three people in a crash on a southern California freeway this week, renewing federal officials’ criticisms of immigrant drivers and concerns about who should be able to obtain CDLs.
Here’s what to know.
Driver in Florida crash failed driving test repeatedly
Florida’s investigation of Harjinder Singh has revealed that the trucker failed a written test to receive a CDL in Washington state 10 times between March 10, 2023, and April 5, 2023, a senior official for Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier who was briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press. The official is not authorized to comment publicly about an ongoing investigation and provided the information on the condition of not being identified.
Singh, who is from India, lived in California and was originally issued a CDL in Washington before California also issued him one. He was carrying a valid California CDL at the time of the crash, according to court filings.
A spokesperson for Washington’s Department of Licensing said no one was immediately able to respond to questions Friday. In California, all commercial truck drivers must pass a written test but may be allowed to skip the driving test if they have an out-of-state license with equivalent classification, according to the California Department of Motor Vehicle’s website. State officials didn’t immediately respond to requests for more information.
He is accused of attempting an illegal U-turn from the northbound lanes of Florida’s Turnpike near Fort Pierce on Aug. 12. A minivan that was behind Singh’s big rig couldn’t stop and crashed into the truck, killing its driver and two passengers. Singh and a passenger in the truck were not injured.
Singh is currently being held without bond in the St. Lucie County Jail, not far from where the crash occurred. His next court date is scheduled for Nov. 13.
Florida goes to the Supreme Court
Florida is now petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to take up its case against the states of California and Washington, and urging the high court to bar states from issuing CDLs to people who are in the country illegally.
Florida’s petition filed this month argues the Western states have demonstrated “open defiance of federal immigration laws” and a failure to enforce public safety, which Florida is urging the court to declare a “public nuisance.” That’s a type of legal claim that’s typically used to address local concerns like blighted homes, illegal drug-dealing or dangerous animals, but has also been directed at pharmacies for their role in the opioid crisis.
If the court accepts the case, Florida officials hope it could lead to a new legal precedent for states’ abilities to issue CDLs to people who are not citizens or legal permanent residents. A ruling could also have a downstream effect on how or if conventional driver’s licenses are issued to immigrants, the senior Florida official said.
A deadly crash in California
In a separate case, Jashanpreet Singh was arrested and jailed after Tuesday’s eight-vehicle crash in Ontario, California, that killed three people and left four others injured.
Singh, who also is from India, is accused of being under the influence of drugs and causing the fiery crash. According to the California Highway Patrol, westbound traffic on Interstate 10 near San Bernardino had slowed Tuesday afternoon when a tractor-trailer failed to stop, struck other vehicles and caused a chain-reaction crash.
Singh, of Yuba City, entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 across the southern border, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Thursday in a post on X.
Trump administration cracks down
The U.S. Transportation Department took steps to tighten CDL requirements for noncitizens in September, following a series of fatal crashes this year that officials say were caused by immigrant truck drivers.
This week’s deadly crash in California and the assertion that Jashanpreet Singh entered the country illegally has renewed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s concerns about who should be able to obtain CDLs.
Duffy and President Donald Trump have been pressing the issue and criticizing California ever since the deadly Florida crash in August.
Speaking to Fox News on Friday, Duffy said there were “multiple failures” that allowed Harjinder Singh to obtain his commercial driver’s license.
“The truth is I think we have a lot of abuse in the commercial driver’s license issuing space,” Duffy said. He noted that Singh didn’t speak English and maintained that he couldn’t read road signs.
“So the question becomes … how in the heck can you ever pass a test for a commercial driver’s license? You can’t do it but for fraud,” Duffy said.
The new rules announced last month make getting commercial driver’s licenses extremely hard for immigrants because only three specific classes of visa holders will be eligible. States will also have to verify an applicant’s immigration status in a federal database. These licenses will be valid for up to one year unless the applicant’s visa expires sooner than that.
___
Frisaro reported from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
