DOT Pulls 110 CDL Training Schools From Registry, Targets 160 More
Federal transportation officials are removing more than 110 commercial driver training schools from a federal registry and targeting another 160-plus for removal, part of a sweeping crackdown on trucking industry fraud announced Monday in Detroit.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called it an “emergency executive shutdown,” noting the 110 schools account for 5,000 English proficiency violations. He appeared alongside Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs, federal prosecutors and members of the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.
The numbers behind the crackdown are stark. Federal officials identified 10 skills testers in a single state who collectively issued more than 2,000 CDLs to people who subsequently could not meet English-language requirements. Since June 2025, more than 28,000 commercial drivers have been placed out of service for English proficiency violations, which DOT says points to failures among third-party testers and state oversight programs.
The enforcement push goes well beyond schools. The initiative includes a nationwide audit of third-party CDL skills testers, and Homeland Security Investigations planned a synchronized enforcement surge Monday targeting more than 200 driving schools across 23 states. HSI says it has received more than 1,000 leads involving CDL-related businesses and has already issued more than 80 notices of inspection. Investigators are examining potential CDL fraud, unauthorized employment, identity-document fraud, money laundering, labor exploitation and possible connections to human smuggling and cartel activity.
The Justice Department also announced the Joint Task Force Crossroads of America, bringing together all nine U.S. attorneys offices in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois to pursue trucking fraud along major Midwest freight corridors.
What this means for your operations
Driver supply is the first pressure point. With 28,000 drivers already placed out of service and hundreds of schools under scrutiny, the pipeline of new drivers could tighten further. If the planned HSI surge and school removals pull questionable CDLs off the road, capacity effects could show up in certain lanes, particularly along the Midwest corridors the DOJ task force is targeting.
Carrier vetting just got more important, too. Federal investigators are looking at shell companies, identity fraud and fraudulent CDL issuance. Your carrier qualification process should confirm CDL validity, English proficiency compliance and legitimate business credentials. Thorough vetting is one of the best tools available for reducing fraud and liability exposure, but it only works if you verify rather than assume.
OOIDA praised the crackdown, with President Todd Spencer calling on Congress to pass Dalilah’s Law to “ensure CDL mills remain closed” and make English proficiency enforcement permanent.
If any carriers in your network have drivers who came through questionable training programs, now is the time to audit, not after a compliance issue lands on your desk.