DHS launches sweeping I-9 audits on California truck fleets
Craig Fuller, CEO at FreightWaves · Sunday, November 30, 2025
Department of Homeland Security agents are conducting aggressive workplace audits across Northern and Central California trucking companies, with a heavy focus on Punjabi-owned carriers, according to a detailed account aired November 28 on Punjab Radio USA.
Harpreet Thera, owner of a mid-sized fleet operating since 1997, told the station that DHS served him with a Notice of Inspection while he was at a dentist appointment in Sacramento. Agents first went to his home, then called his cellphone and identified his exact location before meeting him in a parking lot to hand-deliver the summons.
I just came across this TikTok from Punjab Radio USA and ran the translation. It is wild. Homeland Security is doing full audits on trucking companies in Northern and Central California. They are pulling I9s for every employee going back two years and now they are interviewing… pic.twitter.com/8DwSQbbeDY
— Chris Ceausu (@ChrisCeausu) November 30, 2025
The notice gave Thera three days to produce I-9 employment eligibility forms for every current and former employee going back two years – more than 100 records in total. Thera, who uses BBSI for payroll and runs 100% W-2 drivers to comply with California’s AB5 law, submitted the documents the same day.
DHS then escalated the audit: agents selected 15 employees – including U.S. citizens, green card holders and work-permit drivers – for individual interviews and requested their personal phone numbers. Agents told Thera they may conduct the interviews in person.
During the handoff, the lead agent said this was part of a new, broad initiative. When Thera asked how many companies were being targeted, the agent replied, “We are auditing all companies in Northern California.” Thera said the agent admitted it was his first such audit, suggesting the campaign is still ramping up.
The audits come amid wider federal pressure on California’s trucking sector:
- FMCSA revoked 17,000 non-domiciled CDLs issued to foreign nationals earlier this month after finding the state failed to verify legal residency. Another 44,000 remain under review.
- A reinstated English-language proficiency requirement for CDL holders has already pulled 7,248 drivers off the road since June.
- ICE workplace enforcement actions in California rose sharply in 2025, with 77 Northern California trucking firms hit in the first half of the year alone.
Industry sources say many smaller Punjabi carriers still operate with 1099 independent contractors, a model that keeps costs competitive but leaves them exposed to both AB5 labor claims and now federal immigration audits.
Scale of the Punjabi Trucking Community in California
- California is home to an estimated 50,000–74,000 Punjabi/Sikh truck drivers and owner-operators – roughly 40% of the state’s total long-haul driver pool.
- Nationwide, the Punjabi/Sikh trucking community is estimated at 150,000–200,000 drivers and owners, controlling up to 20% of U.S. trucking companies despite representing only about 4–5% of the overall driver workforce.
- The North American Punjabi Trucking Association (NAPTA) lists more than 1,400 member companies operating over 9,000 trucks, though this represents only a fraction of the total community.
Thera’s interview has circulated rapidly in California trucking chat groups. Punjab Radio USA closed the segment by urging owners to review records immediately, warning that “they are doing all of them” in Northern California.
DHS has not publicly announced the audit campaign or released numbers on how many carriers have been served.
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Craig Fuller, CEO at FreightWaves
© Craig Fuller. Reprinted by SCI.AI.
