Harjinder Singh crossed into America illegally in 2018, failed his CDL knowledge exam ten times in two months, and Washington state gave him the license anyway.
On August 12, 2025, Singh jackknifed his 18-wheeler on the Florida Turnpike and killed three people.
Now Ron DeSantis is spending $9 million to make sure Floridians fill those seats instead.
Florida Builds What California and Washington Won't
The governor awarded $6.25 million to Nassau County on Thursday to construct a roadway network near the US-301 and I-10 interchange – an industrial corridor expected to bring 1,250 jobs in manufacturing, transportation, and logistics to a rural county that needed them.
Another $3 million goes to Bradford County's school district to build a new CDL training facility through North Florida Technical College – enough to seat twice as many students per year as the current program, maxing out at 60 annually.
DeSantis didn't mince words about why it matters.
"These truck drivers are aging out – it was a big generation of 'em, you gotta have other people coming in."
He's right, and the numbers back him up.
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/2029620435651117353?s=20
The American Trucking Associations says the industry needs to hire 1.2 million new drivers over the next decade.
The driver shortage hit 87,000 operators by the third quarter of 2025 and keeps climbing.
The average driver is now 54 years old.
When that generation retires, somebody has to replace them.
Florida is building the school to do it.
What Singh's Case Exposed About Blue-State Negligence
After the crash, federal investigators from the FMCSA sat down with Harjinder Singh and gave him a basic English proficiency assessment.
He answered 2 of 12 verbal questions correctly.
He identified 1 of 4 highway traffic signs.
The Washington training company certified him as English-proficient anyway.
Washington handed him a CDL.
California gave him a second one the following year.
Three people are dead.
Florida responded immediately.
In February, the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles office announced all CDL written and oral exams would be administered in English beginning February 6.
DeSantis called it "ridiculous" that states were handing licenses to people who couldn't read a road sign.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy agreed – pulling more than $40 million in federal highway safety funds from California for refusing to enforce English proficiency standards.
Senator Ashley Moody introduced the Safer Truckers Act to make CDL eligibility federal law: citizens, legal permanent residents, and valid work visa holders only.
The blue states that caused this problem are still arguing about whether the standard is too strict.
Florida already fixed it.
The Bigger Picture
Since 2019, Florida's Job Growth Grant Fund has deployed $330 million and created more than 42,000 jobs across the state.
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/2029643323841954073?s=20
That's not press release math – it's a consistent, repeatable investment model that turns rural infrastructure into job creation engines.
While California was handing CDLs to illegal immigrants who couldn't read a stop sign, Florida was building the pipeline to train American workers for one of the most in-demand careers in the country.
Entry-level CDL drivers earn between $50,000 and $65,000 a year.
No college required.
That's what DeSantis is actually delivering to Nassau and Bradford County families – not a talking point, not a federal mandate, not a diversity initiative.
A paycheck.
"We don't run these businesses as the government," DeSantis said Thursday. "But we create the necessary infrastructure."
That's the difference between a governor who governs and one who lectures.
Sources:
- Michael Costeines, "DeSantis Awards Over $9 Million Through Florida Job Growth Grant to Northeast Florida," The Floridian, March 5, 2026.
- "Illegal Alien Failed CDL Test 10 Times in 2 Months Before Fatal Florida Crash That Killed 3," Fox News, October 24, 2025.
- "Feds Say Washington State Issued CDL License to Illegal Alien Who Killed Three in Florida Crash," Daily Fly, August 20, 2025.
- Governor Ron DeSantis, Press Release, "Governor Ron DeSantis Awards More Than $13 Million for Infrastructure Development Through the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund," flgov.com, March 4, 2026.
- "Truck Driver Shortage 2026: High Demand CDL Careers Explained," America Truck Driving, January 6, 2026.
