The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is launching an investigation into the fatal Florida Turnpike crash that killed three people in Fort Pierce last week.
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said the investigation will look into both the driver and the motor carrier, White Hawk Carriers, Inc.
WATCH: Driver will be extradited back to Florida on Thursday
He said the crash was a "preventable tragedy" and that "Non-enforcement and radical immigration policies have turned the trucking industry into a lawless frontier."
Harjinder Singh, the semi-truck driver accused of making an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike, appeared in California court Tuesday for an extradition hearing. Authorities say he flew to Sacramento after the Turnpike accident and was later arrested.
He is being charged with three counts of vehicular manslaughter after making an illegal U-turn on the Turnpike in Fort Pierce on Aug. 12. A minivan slammed into the truck, killing all three people inside.
WATCH: Harjinder Singh appears at extradition hearing
"That should have never happened, he should have never been here," Governor Ron DeSantis said during a news conference in St. Cloud on Tuesday. "He certainly shouldn't have gotten a commercial drivers license from California."
Singh obtained a commercial drivers license (CDL) in California after entering the country illegally from Mexico in 2018. The Department of Homeland Security said Singh's request for work authorization was denied in 2020, but approved in 2021.
The California DMV said, “The federal government confirmed Mr. Singh’s legal presence in the United States," prior to issuing him a non-domiciled CDL, which allows foreign workers to operate commercial vehicles.
WATCH: Undocumented truck driver in Turnpike crash had commercial drivers license
Immigration attorney Richard Hujber said work authorization does not make someone a legal citizen.
“This person didn’t come with documents. He came through the border with no visa,” Hujber said. “They’re certainly not here legally in terms of, they don’t have a green card; they’re not citizens.”
FMCSA investigators say their investigation began on Aug. 14 at the carrier's premises in California. An English Language Proficiency (ELP) assessment was given and Singh allegedly "failed the assessment, providing correct responses to just 2 of 12 verbal questions and only accurately identifying 1 of 4 highway traffic signs."
FMCSA also found that on July 23, 2024, California issued him a limited-term/non-domiciled CDL. FMCSA says it's investigating whether the license "was issued in accordance with federal regulations."
FMCSA also found that in 2023, Washington state issued Singh a regular full-term CDL. They say "Asylum seekers or individuals without legal status are NOT eligible for this type of license."
And in July 2025, they say "New Mexico State Police conducted a roadside inspection of the driver and issued a speeding ticket, but there is no indication that an ELP assessment was administered."
An order was signed in May requiring all commercial truckers be proficient in English. FMCSA says both New Mexico and Washington state violated its rules.
DeSantis said on Wednesday he sent the lieutenant governor to California, and he will personally extradite Singh back to Florida Thursday morning. Officials say Singh will be deported after the case concludes.
The governor also said once Singh is back in Florida, he intends to “throw the book at him” and is continuing to question sanctuary-state policies like in California, saying they “spill over into our states.”
