Trump Admin Announces Crackdown on Illegal Practices in Commercial Driver’s License Schools

Almost 10,000 training schools have now been removed from the Transportation Department’s Training Provider Registry.

Officials examine the aftermath of a fatal crash on I-35 southbound near Parmer Lane in Austin, Texas, on March 14, 2025. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP

The Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Department of Homeland Security are teaming up to crack down on trucking schools across the country suspected of engaging in fraudulent practices.

Roughly 75 entry-level commercial driver’s license (CDL) training schools have been identified by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration as being engaged in such activities, including failing to properly train drivers applying for licenses, falsifying training records, and using improper driver certifications, the DOT said in a July 16 statement.

The joint operation between the DOT and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will target such illegal and fraudulent practices. DHS’s Homeland Security Investigations will be deployed to probe the 75 schools under scrutiny.

The department “has spent the last year rooting out bad actors from our trucking industry,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in the statement.

“We’ve knocked over 24,000 drivers off our roads for failing to speak English,” he said.

In addition, Duffy said, the department has “forced states to cancel over 28,000 licenses illegally issued to foreign drivers.”

“DHS will be a force multiplier of our efforts to clean up America’s roads. President Trump is using every lever at his disposal to ensure the safety of American families.”

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the partnership between the two departments seeks to strengthen the integrity of the nation’s CDL system and is part of the government’s push to keep America’s roads safe.

Last December, Duffy announced the removal of almost 3,000 CDL training providers from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Training Provider Registry after they failed to equip trainees with the required standards of readiness. Another 4,500 providers were put on notice.

In its latest statement, the DOT said that almost 10,000 training schools have been removed from the registry so far.

In February, Duffy announced a policy mandating English-only tests for truckers seeking CDLs, introduced to ensure drivers understand the language well enough to read road signs correctly and communicate with law enforcement officers.

The crackdown on CDL training schools and the strengthening of driver standards come after multiple truck accidents involving foreign nationals.

In August last year, an illegal immigrant was arrested after his truck caused an accident earlier in June that resulted in a five-year-old girl suffering critical injuries. And in February this year, an illegal immigrant from Kyrgyzstan was apprehended by authorities after his truck hit a van and killed four people in Indiana.

Legal Challenge

Attempts to tackle the issue of illegal immigrants being issued CDLs have faced legal roadblocks. In October 2025, Florida filed a lawsuit against California and Washington, alleging violations of federal rules governing CDL issuance.

The lawsuit came after an Indian national truck driver was involved in an accident in Florida in August 2025. In the incident on Aug. 12, the foreigner allegedly made an illegal U-turn. A minivan with three individuals could not avoid the truck’s trailer and crashed into it, which ended up killing them.

Florida alleged that the driver came to the United States illegally and was issued a CDL in California. The DOT reported that the driver was previously issued a CDL in Washington. In the lawsuit, Florida accused California and Washington of endangering their own citizens and citizens in other states.

However, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Florida permission to sue California and Washington in a May 26 decision.

The Constitution grants the Supreme Court authority to hear disputes between states as a court of first instance, meaning it decides cases that raise new issues or questions requiring legal interpretation. A state wishing to sue other states must seek approval from the Supreme Court before being allowed to proceed.

In this specific case, the court dismissed Florida’s petition in an unsigned order without explaining its decision.

Meanwhile, on May 19, the DOT announced the rollout of a new registration system for truckers, motor coach operators, and other motor carriers, aimed at tackling registration fraud and ensuring only qualified carriers operate in the country.

“This state-of-the-art tool—called Motus: the U.S. DOT Registration System—replaces a decades-old network of loosely connected applications rife with fraud, waste, and abuse,” the DOT said.

“Previously, bad actors applying for a federal trucking registration number could easily hide their identity, game the system, and endanger American families on the road. It’s estimated that there are several thousand suspicious registration numbers tied to fraudulent carriers.”

The new system seeks to counter such fraud, according to the department.

President Donald Trump recently floated a proposal to replace illegal immigrant truck drivers with military veterans, according to a video shared by the White House in a July 15 post on X.

Specifically, the proposal seeks to ensure that any American who has driven a heavy truck for the military will automatically be eligible for a CDL.