How Did a Migrant Who Can’t Speak English Get a License to Drive a Big Rig?
24th August 2025
You’ve seen the video. Big-rig driver Harjinder Singh tries to make an illegal U-turn on a Florida Turnpike. The semi-truck jackknifed and blocked all lanes of traffic. Those in the minivan destroyed in the Aug. 12 crash never had a chance. The collision killed the driver and two passengers.
The question on everyone’s mind: How did Singh get a commercial driver’s license?
The Indian citizen reportedly crossed the U.S. border illegally in 2018. Nonetheless, he obtained driving credentials, and, thanks to the sanctuary state of California, not just a regular driver’s license. The Golden State issued the Stockton resident a limited-term/non-domiciled commercial driver’s license in 2024, even though his English comprehension, from what we know, was not up to the job.
When Singh appeared in a California court to face extradition on three charges of vehicular manslaughter, the court appointed a translator for him.
When federal investigators interviewed Singh after the fatal crash near an “Official Use Only” sign at a turnpike cut-through, he failed an English Language Proficiency test, according to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy. Singh gave a mere two correct responses to 12 verbal questions and accurately identified only one of four traffic signs, according to Duffy.