Almost 10,000 training schools have now been removed from the Transportation Department’s Training Provider Registry.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Department of Homeland Security are teaming up to crack down on trucking schools across the country suspected of engaging in fraudulent practices.
Roughly 75 entry-level commercial driver’s license (CDL) training schools have been identified by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration as being engaged in such activities, including failing to properly train drivers applying for licenses, falsifying training records, and using improper driver certifications, the DOT said in a July 16 statement.
The joint operation between the DOT and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will target such illegal and fraudulent practices. DHS’s Homeland Security Investigations will be deployed to probe the 75 schools under scrutiny.
The department “has spent the last year rooting out bad actors from our trucking industry,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in the statement.
“We’ve knocked over 24,000 drivers off our roads for failing to speak English,” he said.
In addition, Duffy said, the department has “forced states to cancel over 28,000 licenses illegally issued to foreign drivers.”
“DHS will be a force multiplier of our efforts to clean up America’s roads. President Trump is using every lever at his disposal to ensure the safety of American families.”
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the partnership between the two departments seeks to strengthen the integrity of the nation’s CDL system and is part of the government’s push to keep America’s roads safe.
Last December, Duffy announced the removal of almost 3,000 CDL training providers from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Training Provider Registry after they failed to equip trainees with the required standards of readiness. Another 4,500 providers were put on notice.
In its latest statement, the DOT said that almost 10,000 training schools have been removed from the registry so far.
In February, Duffy announced a policy mandating English-only tests for truckers seeking CDLs, introduced to ensure drivers understand the language well enough to read road signs correctly and communicate with law enforcement officers.
The crackdown on CDL training schools and the strengthening of driver standards come after multiple truck accidents involving foreign nationals.
Last December, Duffy announced the removal of almost 3,000 CDL training providers from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Training Provider Registry after they failed to equip trainees with the required standards of readiness. Another 4,500 providers were put on notice.
In its latest statement, the DOT said that almost 10,000 training schools have been removed from the registry so far.
In February, Duffy announced a policy mandating English-only tests for truckers seeking CDLs, introduced to ensure drivers understand the language well enough to read road signs correctly and communicate with law enforcement officers.
The crackdown on CDL training schools and the strengthening of driver standards come after multiple truck accidents involving foreign nationals.
