If you’re in the trucking business, chances are you’ve heard about the Department of Transportation’s recent emergency rule aimed at curbing the issuance of non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs), a category of licenses granted to non-US citizens. 

Following a tragic August crash in Florida involving Harjinder Singh, an Indian-born truck driver accused of making an illegal U-turn that killed three people, California’s Punjabi Sikh trucking community has found itself under unprecedented scrutiny. What should have been treated as an isolated incident has instead become a flashpoint for heated debates over immigration and public safety.