DOT shuts down 110 truck driving schools in CDL fraud crackdown
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced a new federal crackdown Monday targeting commercial driver training schools, CDL skills testers and trucking businesses suspected of fraud. The post DOT shuts down 110 truck driving schools in CDL fraud crackdown appeared first on FreightWaves.
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Federal transportation officials are removing more than 110 commercial driver training schools from a federal registry and targeting another 160-plus schools for removal as part of a sweeping new crackdown on fraud in the trucking industry.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the enforcement actions Monday in Detroit alongside Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator Derek Barrs, federal prosecutors and members of the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.
“What we are announcing is an emergency executive shutdown of 110 driving schools,” Duffy said during the news conference. “These are driving schools that account for 5,000 of the violations for English proficiency.”
The initiative also includes a nationwide audit of third-party CDL skills testers, a Homeland Security Investigations sweep targeting more than 200 driving schools across 23 states and a new Justice Department task force focused on trucking-related fraud and criminal activity in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. window. googletag = window.
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collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag. enableServices(); }); googletag. cmd. push(function() {googletag. display('div-gpt-ad-1709668545404-0'); }); DOT did not release a complete list of the 110 commercial driver training schools removed, or the 160 schools being targeted for removal in Monday’s announcements.
Three CDL schools specifically identified during the news conference include: Platinum Plus Truck Driving School — California. FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs said the school certified 36 drivers who were subsequently cited for English-language proficiency violations. According to Barrs, one of those trainees was involved in a fatal crash in Oklahoma.
ASC Technical Institute — Texas. Barrs said the school certified 58 drivers later cited for English-language proficiency violations. He said one trainee subsequently ran a stop sign and killed a man in Texas. Angel’s Transportation — New Jersey. This school appears to fall into the 160-plus proposed-removal group, rather than the 110 emergency removals.
Barrs said its training was conducted in a parking lot that was too small for students to perform required maneuvers. Duffy said federal officials identified 10 skills testers in one state who collectively issued more than 2,000 CDLs to people who subsequently could not meet English-language requirements.
“We have 10 skill testers who have given over 2,000 driver’s licenses to people who can’t speak English,” Duffy said. “This is the simplest of tests.”
DOT said more than 28,000 commercial drivers have been placed out of service for English-language proficiency violations since June 2025, which the agency said indicates failures among third-party testers and state oversight programs.
The crackdown also expands the federal government’s investigation of potential criminal activity involving the trucking industry. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) said it has received more than 1,000 leads involving CDL-related businesses suspected of unsafe practices or transportation-sector exploitation.
Investigators are examining potential CDL fraud, unauthorized employment, identity-document fraud, money laundering, labor exploitation and possible connections to human smuggling, drug trafficking and cartel activity. On Monday, HSI planned a synchronized enforcement surge involving more than 200 driving schools across 23 states.
Federal investigators have already issued more than 80 notices of inspection and opened multiple investigations involving suspected fraudulent CDL issuance, unauthorized employment, identity fraud and shell companies, according to DOT window. googletag = window. googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag. cmd. push(function() {googletag.
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push(function() {googletag. display('div-gpt-ad-1665767553440-0'); }); The Justice Department also announced the creation of the Joint Task Force Crossroads of America, bringing together all nine U. S. attorneys offices in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.
The task force will work with DOT, FMCSA, FBI, DEA, HSI, ICE, ATF and state and local authorities to pursue trucking fraud and other criminal activity along major Midwest freight corridors. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association praised the crackdown, saying stronger oversight o
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