A truck driver who was reportedly issued a non-domiciled commercial driver’s license (CDL) in New York was killed in a fiery multi-vehicle crash on I-40 near Brownsville last week, according to a Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) crash report obtained by Action News 5.
The crash occurred on September 1 before noon near mile marker 74, just east of the Brownsville exit. Four vehicles were involved, including two semi-trucks, a Nissan Quest, and a Honda Accord.
According to Action News 5, THP’s preliminary report identified the deceased driver as 35-year-old Farahov Fhsvaisov of New York, who was operating one of the commercial trucks. Three other people were injured in the crash, with two of those victims airlifted to regional hospitals.
One of the semi-trucks caught fire following the collision, with photographs from the scene showing the truck fully engulfed in flames. Another vehicle was also shown pinned beneath the burning semi.
The circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation by THP.
The crash drew attention from U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who described the deceased driver as a “dangerous FOREIGN TRUCK DRIVER…with a non-domiciled CDL from NEW YORK” in a post on X that was later deleted.
Duffy said the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration would investigate and work with the Tennessee Highway Patrol to determine the carrier involved. He also said federal officials had issued subpoenas to the New York Department of Motor Vehicles for the driver’s records.
THP’s crash report identifies Fhsvaisov as the driver who died in the crash.
The incident comes as the Trump administration has intensified its focus on commercial driver licensing and alleged fraud involving foreign drivers.
On August 31, Duffy, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, federal prosecutors, the White House Fraud Task Force, and other officials announced the Joint Task Force Crossroads of America, a multi-agency effort targeting fraud and other violations in the trucking industry.
The initiative includes the emergency removal of more than 110 CDL training providers, a nationwide audit of third-party CDL skills testers and investigations into alleged CDL fraud, unauthorized employment, and identity-document fraud.
Furthermore, ICE, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Department of Transportation are targeting CDL fraud by rolling out a tip line, 866-357-2423, for members of the public to report suspected CDL fraud.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “”I-40 Accident” by American Truckers United.
