A trucking industry executive claims the U.S. has enabled “foreign-owned entities” that disregard regulations to “exploit” and “distort” the trucking sector—an issue he says is contributing to an increase in illegal immigrant drivers on American roads.
Federal authorities have recently intensified enforcement efforts after a series of deadly truck-related incidents. In late October, the Department of Homeland Security announced the arrest of 146 illegal immigrant truck drivers along highways in northwest Indiana during “Operation Midway Blitz.”
On Oct. 15, one such driver, Borko Stankovic, was behind the wheel of a semi-truck on U.S. Highway 20 in Indiana when traffic slowed due to a Ram Sprinter turning near Douglas Drive, according to FOX 32. Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital that Stankovic entered the U.S. in 2011 on a nonimmigrant visa that later expired.
Authorities said Stankovic attempted an abrupt left-turn maneuver, crossed into the opposite lane, and struck a Subaru Crosstrek. His semi-truck jackknifed, then collided with the Ram Sprinter, pushing it into a road sign. The Subaru’s driver, 54-year-old Jeffrey Eberly, died at the scene.
Investigators determined that Stankovic was using a suspended commercial driver’s license belonging to a family member and had no legal authorization to operate a truck. He faces charges including felony reckless homicide and felony criminal recklessness resulting in death.
A separate deadly crash occurred on Aug. 12 in Fort Pierce, Florida. Harjinder Singh, who authorities say crossed into the U.S. illegally in 2018, attempted a prohibited U-turn in a semi-truck. The trailer jackknifed and was struck by a minivan, killing all three occupants. Singh, who obtained a CDL in California, was charged with three counts of vehicular homicide.
Zach Meiborg, owner of Meiborg Brothers Trucking in Illinois, told Fox News Digital that parts of the industry have been “outsourced” to foreign-owned companies that knowingly hire illegal immigrants.
“We’re watching bureaucrats export one of the most vital industries in our economy to foreign-owned entities, often based in the Eastern Bloc,” Meiborg said. “These companies saw how to exploit multiple loopholes in trucking and rapidly expand their fleets by simply ignoring the law. Meanwhile, regulators looked the other way.”
He added that during the COVID-19 pandemic, some companies shifted operations offshore, creating an uneven playing field.
“Their dispatch, safety, and recruiting operations are overseas,” he explained. “They use digital systems to run foreign labor that isn’t properly trained. They pay drivers as 1099 contractors instead of W-2 employees, avoiding compliance with federal tax, state tax, and health-care regulations.”
Meiborg also alleged that some companies generate their own electronic logbooks and self-certify compliance, creating what he described as a system ripe for manipulation.
In response to these growing concerns, the Department of Transportation announced an emergency interim final rule in late September to increase federal oversight of how states issue non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses.
Robert Khachatryan, founder and CEO of Freight Right Global Logistics, told Fox News Digital that enforcement—not new laws—is the key.
“It’s about enforcing the existing law,” he said. “Illegal immigrants aren’t supposed to receive commercial driver’s licenses. You must be a legal resident or a U.S. citizen in most states. The laws are clear. The problem is enforcement.”
