Court puts brakes on non-domiciled CDL rule

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has administratively stayed the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) interim final rule (IFR) that put restrictions on who is eligible to obtain a non-domiciled commercial driver’s license (CDL) and non-domiciled commercial learner’s permit (CLP).

According to court documents, issued November 10, 2025, the purpose of the administrative stay is to give the court time to consider emergency motions that have been filed challenging the IFR. The document goes on to say that the administrative stay “should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits of those motions.”

On November 13, 2025, FMCSA announced that in response to the administrative stay state driver licensing agencies (SDLAs) may again issue non-domiciled CDLs, lifting the pause required by the IFR.

In its announcement, the agency also noted that SDLAs that are subject to a corrective action plan that was in effect prior to the issuance of the IFR must continue their pause on non-domiciled CLP and CDL issuance until the SDLA is in compliance with FMCSA’s regulations and guidance.