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Scam text warningSCDMV Revises Procedures on Commercial Driver’s Licenses
September 29, 2025
The South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles is taking quick action to comply with a new federal ruling on issuance of commercial driver’s licenses to non US citizens with lawful presence status.
To ensure compliance with the new interim final rule from the Federal Motor Safety Carrier Administration, the SCDMV will only issue commercial driver’s licenses or commercial learner’s permits to U.S. citizens or “green card” permanent residents.
The SCDMV is enacting this change effective Monday, September 29, to comply with the newly announced federal interim final rule which restricts not only who can be issued a commercial driver’s license by a State Driver License Authority, but also limits the duration of commercial driver’s licenses issued to lawfully present non US citizens.
Three important notes to remember:
- The SCDMV only issues driver’s licenses to those non US citizens who have presented the proper documents to prove their lawful presence in the United States.
- Current holders of commercial driver’s licenses will not have their privileges revoked by this change — it applies only to future issuance and renewal of commercial licenses.
- The new rules only affect commercial driver’s licenses, and do not impact state-issued non-commercial driver’s licenses.
“The South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles has been prudent when issuing commercial licenses to non US citizens, and that is being reinforced by our actions in complying with this new interim final rule,” said Kevin Shwedo, executive director of SCDMV. “We take seriously our mission to meet all state and federal requirements for the licenses we issue to drivers in South Carolina.”
“South Carolina’s established fleet operators strongly support federal and state safety and credentialing requirements. Those who do not fully meet them should be brought into compliance or taken out of service,” said Rick Todd, CEO of the S.C. Trucking Association.
“There is adequate freight hauling capacity presently, particularly considering the state of the economy and soft freight demand. This is a good time to evaluate new entrants and the regulatory state’s capabilities and resources. We appreciate the working relationships we have established with both the DMV and the State Transport Police,” Todd said.
Most of the components of the new federal interim final rule were already in place in South Carolina, such as verifying eligibility through a federal database and requiring noncitizens renewing a CDL to visit an office in person.
All applicants for a commercial driver’s license in South Carolina are put through a rigorous set of tests before being issued a license, and testing is conducted in English as required by Federal regulation.