CDL Crackdown Meets Driverless Freight: Einride and the Future of Trucking

New federal enforcement efforts are tightening CDL requirements nationwide, with regulators increasing audits on non-domiciled drivers, cracking down on fraudulent testing, and removing hundreds of training providers from the FMCSA registry. Thousands of licenses have already been suspended or invalidated in states like California, and the courts are now weighing whether stricter rules for foreign-based CDL holders will become permanent. Supporters say the crackdown strengthens safety and accountability, but carriers warn that it may worsen driver shortages, especially in sectors that depend heavily on immigrant labor, temporary visa drivers, and entry-level workers. With stricter compliance standards and fewer eligible CDL holders, many small fleets fear they will struggle to find drivers, even as freight demand continues.

At the same time, autonomous trucking companies like Einride are moving quickly to fill the gap with cab-less, electric, and fully driverless vehicles that do not require a CDL at all. Einride has already completed commercial driverless runs in Europe, has published a third-party safety case, and is now expanding operations in the United States, starting with controlled freight environments and short-haul corridors. Their model uses a combination of remote operators, onboard sensors, AI routing, and electric power, effectively turning a truck into a robotic freight system that bypasses traditional licensing and labor requirements. As CDL rules tighten and automation advances, the industry faces a historic shift: human drivers are becoming more regulated, while machine drivers are becoming more capable. Whether that leads to safer roads, better jobs, or a loss of opportunity for working drivers depends entirely on how fast these two trends collide, and who ends up in control of the freight.