Nearly 44% of the 16,000 truck driving programmes listed nationwide by the US government may be forced to close after a Transportation Department review found they may not comply with minimum requirements. The department said it plans to revoke certification for nearly 3,000 schools unless they meet training standards within 30 days; those schools must notify students their certification is in jeopardy. Another 4,500 schools have been warned they may face similar action.
Schools that lose certification will be unable to issue the completion certificates required for commercial driver’s licenses, so students are likely to abandon those programs. It is unclear how many of the targeted schools were actively teaching students.
Separately, the Department of Homeland Security is auditing trucking firms in California owned by immigrants to verify drivers’ immigration status and whether they are qualified to hold a commercial driver’s license. Officials say the actions aim to ensure truck drivers are qualified and eligible for commercial licenses after a crash in Florida, which Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says involved a driver not authorized to be in the US and killed three people.
Duffy said the move reins in “illegal and reckless practices that let poorly trained drivers get behind the wheel of semi-trucks and school buses.” He has threatened to pull federal funding from California and Pennsylvania and proposed new restrictions on which immigrants can obtain a commercial driver’s license, though a court put those proposed rules on hold. On Monday he threatened to withhold $30.4 million from Minnesota unless the state addresses problems in its commercial driver’s license program and revokes licenses that should not have been issued or remained valid past work permit expiration. So far, states Duffy has threatened have been Democratic, though the department says audits are under way in other states, including Texas and South Dakota.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s office said the state takes road safety seriously and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety is working to comply with federal law.
Industry and advocacy reactions vary. Andrew Poliakoff, executive director of the Commercial Vehicle Training Association, said many targeted schools are questionable “CDL mills” that advertise training in days rather than the month or more of behind-the-wheel and classroom instruction typical at established schools. He said such programs “fleec[e] people out of money” without teaching the skills needed to pass tests or get hired. Poliakoff’s association includes 100 schools and 400 locations; none were decertified.
The Transportation Department said the 3,000 schools failed to meet training standards, did not keep accurate records, and were accused of falsifying or manipulating training data. Some had already been inactive.
Owner Yogi Sanwal said his company closed its truck driving school in 2022 after compliance changes triggered county demands for costly upgrades—about $150,000—to meet accreditation requirements; his school had trained roughly 500 drivers in four to five years.
Trucking groups praised tighter licensing and enforcement of English proficiency requirements. But immigrant advocacy organizations say many qualified drivers and companies are being targeted because of citizenship. Paul J. Enos, CEO of the Nevada Trucking Association, called bad actors who exploit regulatory loopholes “unacceptable,” while Todd Spencer of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association warned that weak training standards leave drivers unprepared and endanger everyone on the road.
Sikh truck drivers and Punjabi-owned firms say they have been caught in the crossfire and faced harassment after the Florida crash and another deadly California crash involved Sikh drivers. The North American Punjabi Truckers Association estimates Sikh drivers make up about 40% of West Coast truck drivers and about 20% nationwide; advocacy groups estimate roughly 150,000 Sikh truck drivers work in the US.
UNITED SIKHS said Punjabi company owners reported aggressive audits of immigration records, adding that “Sikh and immigrant truckers with spotless records are being treated like suspects while they keep America’s freight moving,” and warning that policies framed by fear can fuel xenophobia and harm civil rights and the supply chain. California moved to revoke 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses after federal officials raised concerns they had been issued improperly to immigrants or allowed to remain valid after work permit expirations.
