How Immigration Crackdowns Are Driving an Indian Food Truck Surge Along California Highways

“The work I’d been doing for 10 years stopped dead,” Karanveer Singh said, describing the moment he received an email stating his driver’s license would be invalid in 60 days due to his immigration status.

According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, this sudden loss of livelihood has sparked an unexpected culinary shift across the American West. As federal immigration policies have tightened, thousands of migrant drivers—many of them Indian—have pivoted from hauling freight to operating food trucks.

The scale of the transition is visible in the growing number of “dhabas,” or Indian roadside eateries, appearing at highway exits. Data from the crowdsourced website Dhabaroute indicates that while there were roughly 40 such establishments on U.S. highways in 2023, that number has climbed to more than 150 today.

A shift from the driver’s seat to the kitchen

The movement is particularly concentrated in California, which now hosts more than 30 of these eateries, followed by Texas with over 20. This trend is a direct consequence of increased scrutiny of international drivers, including legal immigrants and asylum seekers who possess work authorization but lack the specific updated paperwork required for commercial licensing.

In California alone, more than 13,000 migrant drivers lost their licenses this year. For many, the transition to the food industry was a matter of survival. Karanveer Singh used his life savings to launch Ghar Di Roti, which translates to “homemade flatbread” in Punjabi, at a gas station off Highway 99 in Merced County.

Singh’s new business focuses on Punjabi-style roti, dal, and goat curry. He noted that the service meets a specific need for his former colleagues: “A driver can get his diesel, take a shower, get his sleep, take his 30-minute break — and at the same time he gets hot food right there.”

Raman Dhillon, who runs the North American Punjabi Trucking Assn., observed that many people who were forced out of business due to licensing issues have turned to food trucks as their primary recourse.

The changing face of the trucking industry

The sudden departure of these drivers comes at a time when the trucking sector is heavily reliant on immigrant labor to fill gaps left by retiring baby boomers. According to a report from the Department of Transportation, foreign-born individuals now account for 16% of truckers nationally.

The industry has become a major hub for Punjabi Sikhs, a group that has worked American farms for a century and began arriving in larger numbers in the 1990s. The Sikh Coalition, a civil rights group, estimates there are approximately 750,000 Punjabi Sikhs living in the U.S., with roughly 150,000 working in the trucking industry.

Location/Metric	Estimated Number/Count
Total Punjabi Sikhs in U.S.	750,000
Punjabi Sikhs in Trucking	150,000
Indian roadside eateries (2023)	~40
Indian roadside eateries (Current)	150+

This demographic has historically shaped the food available on American highways. Punjabi-owned dhabas have long provided staples like hot rice, curry, and masala chai to weary drivers along major corridors like I-5, I-80, I-10, and I-40.

Trump administration cancels thousands of foreign driver licenses

The crackdown on immigrant drivers became a major political flashpoint following a fatal crash in Florida involving a Punjabi Sikh driver. In response, the Trump administration moved to “clean up American roads,” according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. This initiative resulted in the cancellation of more than 28,000 illegal foreign driver licenses and the removal of 9,500 truck training schools from the federal registry.

While the administration views these measures as necessary for safety, many in the Punjabi community report feeling targeted. Because devout Sikhs wear turbans and beards, they have become easily identifiable during paperwork checks and have faced increased risks of harassment. This atmosphere of fear has driven many to leave the industry entirely, with some moving into delivery gig work or farming.

However, the economic impact is not felt uniformly. While new food entrepreneurs are finding success, established businesses are struggling. Gurnam Singh, owner of the Antelope Truck Stop along I-80 in Wyoming, reported that his sales have dropped by 70% this year. He noted that if there is less traffic on the highway due to fewer drivers, the dhabas lose their customer base.

The struggle is compounded by the high barrier to entry in the food industry. Rajvinder Singh, a 43-year-old former trucker who opened the Desi Hut food trailer in Manteca, said he knows at least 10 people who closed their businesses almost immediately after opening because they underestimated the startup costs.

As the industry continues to adjust to these regulatory shifts, some entrepreneurs are looking toward long-term stability outside of the driver’s seat. Karanveer Singh, having successfully transitioned to food service, is now looking to diversify into truck repair and wash businesses. “I won’t go back,” he said, referring to driving.