Oregon Sues to Block Federal Demand for 17 Million Commercial Drivers’ Social Security Numbers

Oregon joined a coalition of 21 states and the District of Columbia, suing to stop the federal government from obtaining Social Security numbers and other personal information belonging to 17 million commercial drivers yesterday.

The federal government demanded five years of records covering 17 million commercial drivers nationwide and threatened to cut off more than $10 million in federal funding (in the form of grants and contracts) if the agency that manages the database doesn’t hand it over.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) demanded the records from the nonprofit American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA).

States have shared information about commercial driver’s license (CDL) applicants since 1986 through CDLIS, so they can check whether an applicant is already licensed elsewhere. AAMVA has run the system since 1988. The AAMVA database includes names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and issuing states.

When AAMVA declined the demand, FMCSA threatened to withhold more than $10 million in grants and contracts if the records were not provided- a move that could have shut CDLIS down entirely.

In the lawsuit, the coalition asked the court to block FMCSA’s demand and also block the subpoena from DHS seeking the same data.

While the case affects commercial drivers nationwide, Oregon is again one of the states leading the effort to block the demand.