U.S. Suspends Issuing of Visas to Foreign Truck Drivers

The U.S. continues to crack down on underqualified foreign truck drivers, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio taking to social media platform X to make the announcement.

“Effective immediately we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers. 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,” he posted.

While Canadian truck drivers do not require visas to operate commercial motor vehicles to and from the U.S., some foreign drivers – including those based in Canada and Mexico – do. The Private Motor Truck Council of Canada reached out to the U.S. consulate for clarification on the potential impact on Canadian-domiciled drivers.

“We have confirmed this order only effects E and H visas. This order does not affect B1/B2 visas, which most third-country-national drivers in Canada use to enter the United States, so the order should not affect them,” the consulate advised.

“Relatedly though, as part of their visa interview they must display a strong level of English language skills, or they can be refused the visa.”

Read more in an article from Today's Trucking.