Setback for Punjabis: Over 1,800 drivers lose jobs after US cancels licences over rising traffic fatalities
Setback for Punjabis: The US state of Indiana has cancelled the commercial licences of 1,800 noncitizen truck and bus drivers without specific employment-based visas as part of new statuary ban in view of recent traffic fatalities.
Approximately 1,800 drivers lost their jobs following cancellation of their licences, most of them being Punjabis.
Governor Mike Braun signed House Enrolled Act 1200 in March 2026. The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) sent notices to 1,790 drivers on March 16 informing them that their licences would be cancelled. Once the law came into effect on April 1, all non-domiciled Commercial Driver’s Licences (CDLs)—held by those without H-2A, H-2B, or E-2 visas—automatically expired.
- With inputs from agencies
