Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia have sued the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to stop federal government access to CDL drivers’ records in state files.

The lawsuits claim the DOT, FMCSA and DHS are violating multiple federal privacy laws by secretly setting up their own database with records “extorted” from the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA), “with no guardrails on the use or sharing of drivers’ Social Security numbers and other personal information, and no notice to the public.” The lawsuits also allege that the demand violates the Administrative Procedure Act because the federal government has no legitimate need to take over this database of state records, and it failed to consult the states before making this drastic change.

The lawsuits claim that FMCSA sent a letter to AAMVA, making an “unprecedented” demand that AAMVA turn over data for every driver in CDLIS going back five years. When AAMVA voiced its concerns about the new directive, the suit asserts FMCSA made an explicit threat to terminate all of AAMVA’s federal grants and contracts. Faced with that threat, AAMVA told the states it would comply with the federal government’s demand. The plaintiffs now seek an emergency order to prevent the data from being turned over.

In response to the lawsuit, DOT Secretary Sena Duffy released a statement asserting, “Every administration since 1988 has had access to this basic database,” and that the department needs access to the records to ensure that CMV driver credentials and qualifications meet federal standards.

DOT also stated that since an April 2025 Executive Order on upgrading commercial motor vehicle driver standards, FMCSA has:

• Revoked over 30,000 illegally issued commercial driver’s licenses across non-compliant states;

• Removed nearly 10,000 fraudulent or unqualified CDL training providers from the federal registry;

• Enforced strict English Language Proficiency standards, placing over 26,000 non-compliant operators out of service; and

• Strengthened the non-domiciled CDL requirements for drivers.