Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says the Trump administration is “reining in illegal and reckless practices” that allowed unqualified drivers onto U.S. roads.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has removed nearly 3,000 commercial driver’s license (CDL) training providers from the federal registry as part of a sweeping crackdown on fraudulent or noncompliant operations, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Dec. 1.
According to a DOT statement, the removals followed a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) review of more than 16,000 training providers listed in the agency’s Training Provider Registry — which tracks all certified centers authorized to provide entry-level driver training.
The audit found that roughly 3,000 training operations failed to meet the Trump administration’s standards for driver readiness. Violations included falsifying student data, neglecting to maintain records, failing to cooperate with federal audits, and not complying with curriculum, instructor, or facility requirements.
“This administration is cracking down on every link in the illegal trucking chain,” Duffy said in the announcement. “Under the previous administration, bad actors were able to game the system and let unqualified drivers flood our roadways. Their negligence endangered every family on America’s roadways, and it ends today.”
He added that “under President Trump, we are reining in illegal and reckless practices that let poorly trained drivers get behind the wheel of semi-trucks and school buses.”
An additional 4,500 CDL training providers have been placed on notice for potential noncompliance and given 30 days to provide proof of compliance before facing removal from the federal registry. The FMCSA said the latest purge is part of an ongoing effort to eliminate unsafe drivers and fraudulent operators from the trucking industry.
Earlier in September, the agency conducted a nationwide audit that uncovered what officials described as a “catastrophic pattern” of states issuing CDLs to foreign nationals illegally. In response, Duffy announced emergency actions restricting noncitizens from obtaining nondomiciled CDLs unless they meet stricter criteria — including mandatory immigration verification through the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database.
“Licenses to operate a massive, 80,000-pound truck are being issued to dangerous foreign drivers—often times illegally. This is a direct threat to the safety of every family on the road, and I won’t stand for it,” Duffy said.
The crackdown follows several fatal crashes involving foreign drivers. In August, an illegal immigrant from India was accused of making an illegal U-turn in an 18-wheeler that killed three people in Florida. In September, another illegal immigrant was arrested after allegedly causing a multi-car pileup that left a five-year-old girl critically injured.
Andrew Poliakoff, executive director of the Commercial Vehicle Training Association — which represents 100 schools with 400 campuses nationwide — said many of the shuttered operations were so-called “CDL mills.” These centers, he said, “were really just fleecing people out of money” without providing adequate instruction or legitimate testing.
CDL Lawsuit and Legal Pushback
The FMCSA’s September interim final rule limiting nondomiciled CDLs to holders of H-2A and H-2B visas has drawn legal challenges. On Nov. 13, a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., temporarily blocked the rule, ruling that the government failed to follow proper procedures and did not adequately explain how the rule would promote safety.
“Whereas FMCSA does not appear to have demonstrated any safety benefit from the rule, the county petitioner has furnished evidence that the rule would harm public safety by forcing it to replace safer experienced drivers with less-safe new drivers,” the court stated.
Immigrant advocacy group United Sikhs applauded the decision, arguing the rule unfairly targeted lawful immigrant truckers and worsened the national driver shortage. “The rule unfairly punishes immigrants who work hard and contribute to society, and we are grateful for this stay, but the fight for fairness continues,” said Wanda Sanchez Day, the group’s chief legal officer, in a statement.
Meanwhile, DOT officials have warned that states failing to comply with federal eligibility standards could face funding penalties. On Dec. 1, the department notified Minnesota that it must revoke CDLs issued illegally to noncitizens or risk losing $30.4 million in federal highway funds.
“The department will withhold funding if Minnesota continues this reckless behavior that puts non-citizens gaming the system ahead of the safety of Americans,” Duffy said.
The removals mark one of the most aggressive enforcement actions to date under the administration’s campaign to tighten CDL oversight, raise safety standards, and restore integrity to the U.S. commercial driving system.
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