TUSCOLA COUNTY, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The Tuscola County crash that killed three members of the Putman family, known from TLC’s Meet the Putmans, is not an isolated case. Fatal wrecks tied to foreign and illegal immigrant drivers have surfaced in other states, raising red flags about what happens when safety rules are ignored or sidestepped – and when such lapses are effectively allowed by Democratic policies that loosen licensing and enforcement standards.
The Putman tragedy unfolded when a semi-truck driver ran a stop sign and slammed into a Jeep carrying eight people, killing Bill Putman, his wife Barb, and daughter-in-law Megan instantly. The driver, 55-year-old Pavel Shchukin, a noncitizen “lawful resident” living in Florida, was charged with three counts of Moving Violation Causing Death and five counts of Serious Impairment. He remains jailed on $100,000 bond.
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WNEM reported that Shchukin required an interpreter during his court appearance – a detail that raises a troubling question: if he cannot understand English well enough to follow legal proceedings, how can he be expected to safely navigate Michigan’s highways?
CDL flaws on display.
Commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) are supposed to guarantee proper training and vetting. But the danger was underscored August 12 when Harjinder Singh, an illegal immigrant from India, attempted an illegal U-turn in Florida. Blocking all lanes with his truck, he caused a deadly pileup that killed three. Footage from his cab went viral, showing a chilling lack of emotion after the wreck.
A broken system.
Singh first got a CDL in Washington and later secured one in California. After the crash, federal investigators tested him on English and road signs – he got only 2 of 12 verbal questions and 1 of 4 signs correct. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called it “a preventable tragedy directly caused by reckless decisions and compounded by despicable failures.” Singh fled to California post-crash but was extradited to Florida, where he faces six felony counts that could bring up to 50 years in prison.
Oklahoma crack down.
In Oklahoma, a recent three-day operation dubbed “Operation Guardian” by state troopers, ICE, and regulators netted about 125 arrests of commercial drivers – many suspected of being illegal immigrants from countries including India, Uzbekistan, China, Russia, Georgia, Turkey, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Mauritania. Many of the licenses came from sanctuary states like New York and some of the driver’s licenses had no names on them.
In a statement from Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY), she called New York Governor Kathy Hochul the worse governor in America. She explained, “The latest bombshell discovery is that Kathy Hochul’s dangerous and irresponsible ‘Green Light Law,’ allows criminal illegal immigrants to be issued commercial drivers licenses in some cases shockingly labeled ‘No Name Given,’ allowing them to operate 80,000-pound commercial vehicles across the country.”
Fraud schemes fueling danger.
Weaknesses in licensing extend beyond CDLs. Kentucky recently revoked nearly 2,000 driver’s licenses after uncovering a scheme where clerks sold them to illegal immigrants for about $200 each. In Pennsylvania, former PennDOT employee Angelo Carrion admitted to feeding answers and ignoring verification in exchange for fees. He pleaded guilty to bribery, theft, and tampering, receiving probation, house arrest, and restitution.
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These examples show how fraud and corruption can undermine the system – but in some places, it isn’t even necessary to cheat. As of 2025, 19 U.S. states allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses or driving privilege cards blurring the line between legitimate oversight and political agenda. States like California, New York, and Hawaii not only permit illegal immigrants to get licenses but also defend the policy as a matter of “safety” and inclusion.
Foreign CDL drivers stir debate over wages, safety, and oversight.
But the problem doesn’t stop with undocumented drivers gaming the system. Even so-called “legal” foreign drivers can create risks of their own. According to Overdrive, a long-running media outlet focused on the trucking industry, there are some trucking groups, including the American Truckers United (ATU), claiming that a surge of foreign drivers holding U.S. CDLs – sometimes issued in non- domiciled states (any other state where a person may live, work, or spend time, but that isn’t their legal home) or even foreign jurisdictions – is undermining pay and safety in the industry. They argue that the influx of these drivers amounts to “labor dumping,” because many allegedly accept lower wages, putting pressure on freight rates and squeezing income for American truckers.
The spike in newly registered CDL holders in certain states has been flagged by critics as evidence of this shift, though regulators warn that the raw numbers may be misleading due to reporting anomalies and data-quality issues. The American Trucking Associations (ATA) is one organization that contends there’s no proof that millions of foreign drivers are entering the U.S. trucking workforce, and says data inconsistencies may be driving sensational claims.
Meanwhile, even proponents of stricter oversight acknowledge that the system lacks consistent tracking of non-domiciled CDLs and demand greater transparency on how many foreign drivers are actually licensed and active on U.S. roads.
Policy blind spots put lives at risk.
Looser immigration and licensing rules aren’t just bureaucracy gone bad – they’re dangerous. Putting drivers on the road with little training, limited English, or no legal status puts every family at risk. Unless leaders crack down on fraud and weak regulations, tragedies like these will only multiply.
