State Restarts Issuing Licenses After Fixing Federal Rule Problems
North Dakota can now issue non-domiciled commercial driver licenses again after the federal
government removed a previous step in the process. Robin Rehborg from the North Dakota
Department of Transportation said they are happy to be allowed to give out these licenses
again.
North Dakota is now giving new, renewed, or updated non-domiciled CDLs after a break caused
by federal rules in December 2025. In December, the FMCSA told North Dakota it was not
following the rules when issuing these licenses and permits.
This warning was based on a check of 526 licenses. The state had to fix the problem quickly or
risk losing almost $35 million in federal money. North Dakota was told to fix the problems and to
cancel and replace any licenses or permits that did not follow the rules. NDDOT said that
FMCSA has approved their fixes, and the state can now issue these licenses again.
The state will only give back about 150 of the 526 licenses that were checked. NDDOT said
they are thankful for their team and glad to offer this service again. NDDOT explained that, to
regain FMCSA recertification, it conducted an internal review of procedures, programming,
training, and quality assurance measures to ensure compliance with federal requirements.
People who want these licenses must go in person and bring a valid foreign passport and
immigration documents. Only people with certain temporary work visas (such as H-2A, H-2B, or
E-2) can obtain these licenses. These licenses are only good for one year. Drivers should make
an appointment online to get these licenses.
North Dakota was one of 23 states and Washington, D.C., that received warnings from the
FMCSA due to problems with these licenses.
Oregon decided to stop giving these licenses because only a few people would qualify under
the new rules. Nevada also canceled almost 1,000 of these licenses last year because they did
not meet FMCSA rules. Nevada’s DMV said stopping the program helps protect federal funds
and keeps its licensing process accurate. States do not have to give out these licenses, but
most do. Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and West Virginia do not issue them.
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