Illinois-led coalition sues over CDL driver data demand
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is leading a coalition of 21 attorneys general and Pennsylvania in two lawsuits challenging what they describe as a Trump administration effort to obtain a database containing sensitive personal information for roughly 17 million commercial driver’s license holders.
The lawsuits, filed Aug. 13, target the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Department of Homeland Security and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. The states are seeking to block the transfer of Commercial Driver’s License Information System records, arguing the federal demands violate privacy laws and exceed federal authority.
According to Raoul’s office, FMCSA directed AAMVA—the nonprofit that operates the CDL information-sharing system for states—to provide five years of records for every driver in the database. The agency allegedly threatened to end more than $10 million in federal grants and contracts if AAMVA refused. The states contend that losing that support could jeopardize the CDLIS system itself.
CDLIS was established by Congress in 1986 to help states verify whether commercial-license applicants are licensed elsewhere and to support safety-related licensing decisions. AAMVA has operated the system under contract with the Transportation Department since 1988.
The database includes information states use to confirm an applicant’s identity, medical fitness, immigration status, licensing history and driving record. Individual driver records can include names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, license numbers and the state that issued the record, the attorney general’s office said.
The lawsuits allege federal agencies sought to create their own database using state-owned records without sufficient limits on how the information could be used or shared. The coalition also argues the government did not adequately explain why it needed to take control of the database or consult states before demanding the records.
According to the complaint, FMCSA gave AAMVA until Aug. 17 to provide five years of CDLIS records—about 17 million driver records—or risk immediate termination of its federal contracts and funding, including about $10 million tied to the database. DHS issued a separate subpoena with the same deadline.
