Trump Admin Orders 270 Trucking Schools Shut Over CDL Fraud.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Monday ordered the emergency removal of 110 CDL schools from the federal Training Provider Registry, forcing them to cease operations immediately. A further 160 schools were suspended for failing to meet facility and instructor standards.
- 110 schools collectively trained more than 5,000 drivers later cited for English-proficiency violations.
- 160 additional schools were suspended for unlicensed instructors, missing classrooms, or inadequate driving space.
- 40% of 400 inspected training providers failed to meet federal rules, FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs said.
- Nearly 30,000 drivers have been placed out of service for English-proficiency violations nationwide.
Why it matters: Federal officials linked fraudulent CDL certification to specific fatal crashes. FMCSA Administrator Barrs said Platinum Plus Truck Driving School in California certified 36 drivers later cited for language violations, one of whom killed a person in Oklahoma. ASC Technical Institute in Texas certified 58 such drivers; one ran a stop sign and killed a man.
- Duffy said 239 people died in crashes caused by non-English-speaking truck drivers since January 2025.
- Liability insurance premiums in commercial trucking rose 18.6% from 2021 to 2024, according to the American Transportation Research Institute.
How 28 sources split on this story
Right coverage, 23 sources: The right frames the closures as a long-overdue correction to Biden-era leniency, tying fraudulent CDL schools directly to illegal immigration, sanctuary-city policies, and preventable American deaths.
What’s next: FMCSA and Homeland Security Investigations will conduct a nationwide audit of state-authorized CDL skills testers.
- The DOJ launched Joint Task Force Crossroads of America, covering U.S. attorneys in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio.
- Duffy said states that fail to oversee testers and enforce federal standards could face federal consequences.
- How will the closure of 270 schools affect CDL training capacity and driver supply in affected states?
- Which, if any, state officials will face federal action for failing to enforce English-proficiency requirements?
- What process exists for schools to contest removal from the Training Provider Registry?
