An additional 4,500 CDL training providers were put on notice for potential noncompliance.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that nearly 3,000 commercial driver’s license (CDL) training providers have been removed from a federal registry as part of the crackdown on illegal test training centers, the Department of Transportation (DOT) said in a statement on Dec. 1.
The changes were made in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA’s) Training Provider Registry, which lists all centers authorized to offer entry-level driver training (ELDT), whose regulations set the minimum federal training requirements that entry-level drivers must complete.
An FMCSA compliance review of 16,000 CDL training providers found 3,000 failing to equip trainees with the Trump administration’s standards of readiness for drivers.
These centers falsified or manipulated training data, failed to maintain accurate and complete documentation, refused to provide records during federal investigations or audits, or neglected to meet the required curriculum standards, instructor qualifications, or facility conditions, according to the DOT.
“This administration is cracking down on every link in the illegal trucking chain,” Duffy said.
Under the previous administration, “bad actors were able to game the system and let unqualified drivers flood our roadways,” he said.
“Their negligence endangered every family on America’s roadways, and it ends today.
“Under President Trump, we are reigning in illegal and reckless practices that let poorly trained drivers get behind the wheel of semi-trucks and school buses.”
An additional 4,500 CDL training providers were put on notice for potential noncompliance.
According to the DOT, CDL training providers that receive a notice must respond to the FMCSA within 30 days and provide proof of compliance to avoid being removed from the registry.
The DOT said the deletion of 3,000 CDL training providers is the latest action taken by the department and FMCSA to remove unqualified drivers and corrupt operators from the U.S. trucking industry.
Earlier in September, the FMCSA said it had conducted a nationwide audit that uncovered a “catastrophic pattern” of states issuing CDLs to foreign nationals illegally.
