Court Rules
All enforcement actions
Enforcement ActionLow RiskMultistate

Lawsuit Against Trump Administration for Unlawfully Demanding Personal Information of CDL Drivers

U.S. Department of TransportationAugust 13, 2026Virginia Attorney General

Consumers Affected

17,000,000

Summary

A coalition of 21 attorneys general and the Governor of Pennsylvania filed lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Transportation, FMCSA, DHS, and AAMVA to prevent the federal government from obtaining a database of personal information of 17 million commercial driver's license holders. The lawsuits allege the federal government violated federal privacy laws and the Administrative Procedure Act by demanding the data without notice or guardrails, and threatening to withhold $10 million in federal funding if AAMVA refused.

Remedy

The coalition seeks an emergency order to prevent the data from being turned over, and a permanent injunction against the federal government's demand for the database.

Injunction

Contract Impact

In-house legal teams should review contracts with government agencies and data sharing agreements to ensure they include robust data protection clauses, clear data ownership provisions, and safeguards against unauthorized data transfers. They should also verify that any agreements with third-party vendors handling personal data include provisions for compliance with federal privacy laws and notification requirements. Additionally, contracts should address the handling of government requests for data and include mechanisms for challenging unlawful demands.

Contract Search Terms

data sharing agreementgovernment data requestpersonal informationSocial Security numberdata transferfederal fundingdata ownershipdata securityprivacy law compliancenotice to public

Laws Cited

Administrative Procedure ActFederal Privacy Laws

Violation Types

Entity Details

Entity

U.S. Department of Transportation

Industry

Other

Multistate Coalition

Official Sources

Source Evidence

Entity Name
"the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)"
Fine Amount
"threatening to withhold $10 million in federal funding"
Laws Cited
"violating multiple federal privacy laws"
Laws Cited
"Administrative Procedure Act"
Violation Types
"secretly setting up their own database with records extorted from AAMVA, with no guardrails on the use or sharing of drivers’ Social Security numbers and other personal information, and no notice to the public."

Related Enforcement Actions

NY

U.S. Department of Transportation

New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 21 other attorneys general and Pennsylvania sued the U.S. Department of Transportation and Department of Homeland Security to block the federal government from seizing the personal data of 17 million commercial drivers from the CDLIS database. The coalition argues the demands violate federal privacy laws and the Constitution, and seeks an injunction to prevent the data transfer.

CO

U.S. Department of Transportation

Attorney General Phil Weiser joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general and Pennsylvania in filing two lawsuits against the Trump administration for demanding a database of state-owned records containing sensitive personal information of 17 million commercial drivers. The lawsuits allege violations of federal privacy laws and the Administrative Procedure Act, and seek an emergency order to prevent the data from being turned over by the August 17 deadline.

NJ

U.S. Department of Transportation

A coalition of 21 state attorneys general and Pennsylvania filed lawsuits against the Trump Administration, DOT, FMCSA, DHS, and AAMVA to prevent the unlawful demand for a database containing personal information of 17 million commercial driver's license holders. The lawsuits allege violations of federal privacy laws and the Administrative Procedure Act, and seek an emergency order to block the data transfer.

CT

U.S. Department of Transportation

Attorney General Tong and a coalition of 21 attorneys general and Pennsylvania filed lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Transportation, FMCSA, and DHS to block demands for the personal information of 17 million CDL drivers. The lawsuits allege violations of federal privacy laws and the Administrative Procedure Act, and seek an emergency order to prevent the data transfer.

OR

U.S. Department of Transportation

Attorney General Dan Rayfield and a coalition of 21 attorneys general and Pennsylvania filed lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Transportation, FMCSA, and AAMVA to block demands for a database containing personal information of 17 million commercial drivers. The federal government threatened to withhold $10 million in funding unless the data was turned over, which the coalition argues violates privacy law.

VA

Virginia Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General Jay Jones announced the creation of the Regulated Products Enforcement Unit to centralize civil enforcement for liquid nicotine products, THC and hemp-derived products, kratom, and related intoxicants. The unit will oversee compliance, directory administration, and public education. It will coordinate with Virginia ABC and other agencies to take legal action against violators.