St. Lucie sheriff testifies in D.C on CDL rules for undocumented immigrants after deadly Florida Turnpike crash
By Justin Breckenridge
March 5, 2026 at 9:00 AM EST
St. Lucie County Sheriff Richard Del Toro visited Washington, D.C., on March 4 to speak with lawmakers about commercial driver’s licenses being issued to undocumented immigrants.
Speaking before the House Committee on Homeland Security, Del Toro shared details of a crash that made national headlines last summer. In that case, an undocumented immigrant performed an illegal U-turn on Florida’s Turnpike in Fort Pierce, resulting in the deaths of three people.
Harjinder Singh, the truck driver involved in the crash, entered the United States illegally in 2018 and was issued a commercial driver’s license by the state of California. The incident drew national attention and sparked discussion among lawmakers about requiring English proficiency to operate a commercial vehicle.
“For the families of those victims, this is not a policy debate, it’s a permanent loss,” Del Toro told the committee. “Commercial motor vehicles can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. When operated unsafely, they have the potential to cause devastating consequences in a matter of seconds. That is why strong, consistent, and reliable safety standards for commercial driver licensing are essential to protecting the public.”
Del Toro said Florida has already taken steps to strengthen commercial driver licensing standards. According to the sheriff, those measures include:
“This isn’t to hurt anyone that’s here legally,” he said. “It’s just a way to vet it out, increase our standards, which I think is our responsibility as elected officials to protect the public and enhance roadway safety.”
He also spoke about the impact the crash had on the St. Lucie County community and his desire to prevent a similar tragedy in the future.
Singh is being held in the St. Lucie County Jail and faces three counts of vehicular homicide and three counts of manslaughter. He has pleaded not guilty.
Speaking before the House Committee on Homeland Security, Del Toro shared details of a crash that made national headlines last summer. In that case, an undocumented immigrant performed an illegal U-turn on Florida’s Turnpike in Fort Pierce, resulting in the deaths of three people.
Harjinder Singh, the truck driver involved in the crash, entered the United States illegally in 2018 and was issued a commercial driver’s license by the state of California. The incident drew national attention and sparked discussion among lawmakers about requiring English proficiency to operate a commercial vehicle.
“For the families of those victims, this is not a policy debate, it’s a permanent loss,” Del Toro told the committee. “Commercial motor vehicles can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. When operated unsafely, they have the potential to cause devastating consequences in a matter of seconds. That is why strong, consistent, and reliable safety standards for commercial driver licensing are essential to protecting the public.”
Del Toro said Florida has already taken steps to strengthen commercial driver licensing standards. According to the sheriff, those measures include:
- Florida only issues licenses to people who are legally in the country.
- Licenses issued to non-citizens with temporary legal presence and non-domicile status are valid for one year or until the expiration of their legal status, whichever comes first.
- The state electronically verifies with the Department of Homeland Security that applicants have legal presence in the United States.
- Documents related to a driver’s identity and legal status are scanned and stored in the DAVID system.
- All CDLs issued to drivers with temporary legal presence are issued in person.
- Temporary legal status is indicated on the front of the driver’s license.
- Florida prints “non-domicile” on applicable licenses.
- The written CDL knowledge test is now provided only in English.
- The behind-the-wheel CDL test is also administered only in English.
- Issuances of CDLs to non-domicile drivers are currently paused until mid-March, when the new rules are expected to be fully implemented.
“This isn’t to hurt anyone that’s here legally,” he said. “It’s just a way to vet it out, increase our standards, which I think is our responsibility as elected officials to protect the public and enhance roadway safety.”
He also spoke about the impact the crash had on the St. Lucie County community and his desire to prevent a similar tragedy in the future.
Singh is being held in the St. Lucie County Jail and faces three counts of vehicular homicide and three counts of manslaughter. He has pleaded not guilty.