Thousands of Indian truck drivers in California are fighting back. They have filed a lawsuit to stop the state from canceling their commercial driving licences. The California DMV said the licences were wrongly issued with expiry dates beyond the drivers’ legal work periods. About 17,000 cancellation notices were sent in November, with numbers rising as more cases are found. Many affected drivers are Punjabi Sikhs. They say this crackdown has hurt their lives and caused unfair racial profiling. Driver advocates explain the mistake is the DMV’s fault. They argue that under California law, DMV must fix clerical errors or let drivers reapply for corrected licences instead of canceling them outright. Munmeeth Kaur, legal director of the Sikh Coalition, said, “The state of California must help these drivers because the clerical errors threatening their livelihoods are of the state’s own making.” This issue follows federal pressure after a fatal truck crash in Florida brought scrutiny over licence checks. The Trump administration pushed stricter rules on immigration and English skills for drivers. This led California and others to increase enforcement, affecting thousands. The Sikh Coalition warns that many Sikh truckers face racial profiling due to their religious appearance, like turbans and beards. Industry experts worry tougher federal rules could force hundreds of thousands of drivers out in coming years. For the drivers, losing their commercial licence means losing their job. Without any licence, they cannot legally drive at all. Many have invested their savings in trucks and businesses. Kaur added, "If the court does not step in, we will see a devastating wave of unemployment that harms families and destabilises supply chains." The California DMV has not commented on the lawsuit but stated it is ready to reissue licences if federal concerns are resolved. Plaintiffs insist the DMV can correct or reinstate licences now, without waiting.