The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security (TDSHS) is taking steps to ensure all Commercial Driver License (CDL) records comply with current federal and state laws by updating older files to include required proof of citizenship or lawful presence.
On Thursday, TDSHS announced that approximately 8,800 of Tennessee’s 150,000 CDL holders will receive a notice by mail requesting citizenship or lawful presence documentation that was not required when their licenses were originally issued.
TDSHS’ announcement came after the state agency conducted a review of Tennessee CDL records in response to President Donald Trump’s April 28, 2025, executive order titled “Enforcing Commonsense Rules of the Road for America’s Truck Drivers.”
The president’s executive order directed the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration under the U.S. Department of Transportation to review non-domiciled CDLs issued by state agencies “to identify any unusual patterns or numbers or other irregularities with respect to non-domiciled CDL issuance.”
Both federal and Tennessee state law require proof of either U.S. Citizenship or Lawful Permanent Residency to be on file in order to obtain and hold a CDL, TDSHS said.
Russell Shoup, assistant commissioner of the Driver Services Division, said, “This action is designed to ensure that all CDL records meet today’s state and federal requirements and are in line with the Presidential directive.
TDSHS said the approximately 8,800 drivers without the required documentation on file will receive instructions on how to complete their CDL records, which includes presenting one valid document proving citizenship or legal presence and the notice letter sent by TDSHS by mail or in person at a state driver services center.
Records must be updated by April 6, 2026, TDSHS said.
Those who receive a notice by mail and fail to update their records by the April 6 deadline “will be downgraded to a non-commercial driver license until proof is provided,” the agency said.
“We appreciate the cooperation of Tennessee’s commercial driving community,” Shoup said.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
