Nearly half of all truck-driver training programs in the United States are now in jeopardy after the Transportation Department launched an aggressive review of school compliance with federal standards. The agency says that close to 44% of the 16,000 programs listed nationwide may face closure or removal from the federal Training Provider Registry, a move that would prevent these schools from issuing the certificates required for commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs).
Roughly 3,000 schools have been told they must meet federal training rules within 30 days or lose their certification. Another 4,500 programs have been warned that they could soon face the same scrutiny. Schools placed on the proposed removal list must notify all current and incoming trainees, a requirement that could cause students to leave immediately, potentially crippling those programs even before a final decision is made.
The agency cited several recurring problems: falsified training data, missing documentation, failure to meet curriculum standards, and poor facility or instructor qualifications. In some cases, schools refused to provide records during audits. According to federal officials, these lapses weaken the training pipeline at a time when the nation depends heavily on commercial drivers to keep freight moving.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has framed the crackdown as a broad attempt to clean up CDL training following a deadly crash in Florida. In that case, a driver attempted an illegal U-turn on the Turnpike, causing a collision that killed three people. Duffy says the driver should never have been behind the wheel and points to the crash as evidence that lax training practices can have tragic consequences.
The enforcement effort has, however, drawn backlash from immigrant driver groups, especially Sikh drivers, who make up a large share of the West Coast trucking workforce. Advocacy organizations say drivers who follow the law and maintain clean records are being swept into an atmosphere of suspicion. They warn that overly aggressive audits risk feeding xenophobia and creating hardships for families and businesses that rely on trucking income.
The Department of Homeland Security is conducting a parallel investigation into firms owned by immigrants in California, checking whether drivers hold valid work authorization and properly issued CDLs. Some state licensing systems have also come under federal pressure. Minnesota, for example, was warned it could lose more than $30 million in federal funds if it fails to address licensing issues flagged by federal investigators.
Trucking industry groups generally support stronger standards, especially those aimed at shutting down “CDL mills” that offer fast, low-quality training for a fee. According to the Commercial Vehicle Training Association, reputable schools typically provide at least a month of instruction, combining classroom lessons with supervised driving. Their leaders argue that shortcuts leave new drivers unprepared for real-world road demands.
Immigrant groups, meanwhile, continue to urge federal agencies to distinguish between dishonest operators and lawful drivers who keep goods moving across the country. They warn that policies shaped by political pressure rather than evidence risk weakening the supply chain instead of improving road safety.
This image is the property of The New Dispatch LLC and is not licenseable for external use without explicit written permission.
