Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced sweeping emergency rules on Friday to tighten who can obtain licenses to drive tractor-trailers in the United States, calling the current system a “national emergency” after a series of deadly crashes linked to foreign drivers operating with improperly issued credentials.

Speaking at the Department of Transportation headquarters, Duffy described the practice of states issuing commercial driver’s licenses to people who are neither U.S. citizens nor permanent residents as “absolutely broken.” He said licenses meant for temporary, non-resident drivers have been handed out illegally or without proper checks, allowing unqualified operators to get behind the wheel of 80,000-pound trucks.

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