Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has announced a new investigation into the semitruck crash in Florida that killed three people. Harjinder Singh faces numerous charges, including vehicular homicide and immigration violations.
New investigation
Duffy said the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has launched an investigation into Singh as well as White Hawk Carriers Inc., the company that hired the driver. The department said preliminary investigations found Singh did not speak English and that two different states had violated FMCSA rules.
“If states had followed the rules, this driver would never have been behind the wheel and three precious lives would still be with us,” Duffy said in a statement. “This crash was a preventable tragedy directly caused by reckless decisions and compounded by despicable failures.”
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Established in 2000, the FMCSA is under the Department of Transportation. They’ll have several decisions to make after the investigation. If a company fails an investigation, several options are on the table for the FMCSA, including fines, safety rating changes and even criminal referrals.
In a post on X, Duffy laid out exactly what the investigation will look at, including how Singh got a commercial driver’s license, or CDL, which Duffy said is not allowed. Non-citizens can get CDL’s but there are several factors in play.
The investigation will also look at what Duffy called New Mexico’s failure to issue an English language proficiency test when Singh was pulled over for speeding. The Trump administration requires all U.S. truck drivers to speak English.
The investigation will also look into White Hawk Carriers Inc., which is based in California. A California bill has allowed more than 1 million unauthorized immigrants to get driver’s licenses and open up a path to a CDL.
“We will use every tool at our disposal to hold these states and bad actors accountable,” Duffy said. “President Trump and I will restore safety to our roads. The families of the deceased deserve justice.”
Florida crash
On Aug. 12, Singh was driving his tractor-trailer on Florida’s Turnpike in St. Lucie County. Officials said he made an illegal U-turn in an “official use only” section of the highway.
During that turn, a van crashed into the truck and killed all three people in the van. Singh was not injured.
Singh now faces three charges of vehicular homicide.
Singh’s history
Singh reportedly came into the country illegally from India through the Mexican border during the first Trump administration in 2018. Shortly after crossing, he was detained by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and processed for fast-track deportation.
However, he reportedly told officials he was scared to return to India and was released on a $5,000 immigration bond. Immigrants are considered “refugees” if they demonstrate they fear persecution in their homeland.
In June 2021, Singh received work papers under the Biden administration and eventually obtained a commercial driver’s license in California.
Preliminary investigation
A preliminary investigation from FMCSA found Singh was issued a regular full-term CDL from Washington State in July 2023. One year later, he received a limited-term/non-domiciled CDL.
Duffy said Singh is not eligible for the full-term license, and the investigation will look at eligibility for the limited-term license.
Last month, New Mexico State Police issued Singh a speeding ticket, but Duffy said there’s no indication an English language proficiency test was administered. That stop came exactly eight days after the English-speaking requirement went into effect.
“Non-enforcement and radical immigration policies have turned the trucking industry into a lawless frontier, resulting in unqualified foreign drivers improperly acquiring licenses to operate 40-ton vehicles,” Duffy said.
So far this year, there have been more than 1,600 fatal crashes in America involving large trucks. There is no monitoring as to how many of those crashes involve immigrant drivers.
