Trump Administration Takes Action Against Unqualified Trucking Schools
A number of tragic incidents involving American fatalities have raised concerns after foreign nationals were issued commercial driver’s licenses, which U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has referred to as “80,000 pound missiles.” In response to these alarming events, the Trump administration has implemented strict measures targeting unqualified drivers.
Specifically, they have removed thousands of training schools from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) registry and prohibited individuals such as DACA recipients, asylum seekers, and other noncitizens from obtaining or renewing commercial driver’s licenses if they don’t meet residency requirements. Moreover, they’ve also enforced regulations around English proficiency, taking off the road commercial truck drivers who lack adequate English-speaking skills.
Recently, the Department of Transportation (DOT) disclosed that they executed an emergency closure of over 110 commercial driver training schools linked to numerous drivers who did not pass the English language proficiency tests. This decision followed a comprehensive review of more than 5,000 CDL holders, which included checking their records against those in the Training Provider Registry, revealing that over 110 entry-level training providers were certifying individuals who had failed the necessary evaluations.
In addition, nearly 400 investigations have been initiated into training schools across 40 states, uncovering several serious breaches of compliance. The FMCSA reported that drivers trained by over 160 schools facing proposed removal were involved in 239 fatalities related to commercial vehicles.
Duffy noted that to genuinely address the issue of fraud and to improve road safety, federal law enforcement must lend their support. He expressed gratitude to President Trump and Vice President Vance for spotlighting this issue, which has highlighted various failings across the system, from states not enforcing laws to dubious training operations.
Beyond the efforts of the DOT, there’s collaboration with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) on an initiative focusing on criminal activities linked to CDL fraud and unauthorized work. This week, HSI focused their efforts on more than 200 driving schools and businesses associated with CDLs.
HSI’s acting Executive Associate Director, John Condon, highlighted the risks posed by criminals exploiting transportation systems for fraudulent gains, emphasizing the agency’s commitment to addressing this critical issue.
The Justice Department also announced the formation of an interagency task force named Joint Task Force Crossroads of America, aiming to enhance roadway safety by combating illegal trucking practices and holding offenders accountable.
Vice President Vance reinforced the necessity of tackling fraud in the trucking sector, remarking that the proliferation of fraudulent CDLs has made roads less safe and affected employment and wages negatively.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association supported this initiative and called upon Congress to pass Dalilah’s Law, aimed at ensuring stricter protocols and enforcement regarding CDL issuance. This proposed law, named after a girl injured by an illegal alien who had obtained a CDL, would restrict licenses exclusively to U.S. citizens and lawful residents, and revoke those which were improperly issued.
