Federal regulators continue to put pressure on the trucking industry's licensing processes, this time taking aim at schools preparing potential drivers to earn their commercial driver's licenses.
Saying the trucking industry is "where anything goes and nobody asks any questions," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy today announced that more than 550 CDL training schools found in violation of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s standards received notices of proposed removal from FMCSA’s national training provider registry.
More than 300 investigators crossed all 50 states to conduct over 1,400 sting operations, said a statement from the DOT. Noncompliant schools lacked qualified instructors, used fake addresses, and failed to properly train drivers on the transportation of hazardous materials, among other violations, according to Duffy's statement.
“For too long, the trucking industry has operated like the Wild, Wild West, where anything goes and nobody asks any questions," said Duffy. "American families should have confidence that our school bus and truck drivers are following every letter of the law and that starts with receiving proper training before getting behind the wheel."
Over the course of five days, the FMCSA conducted 1,426 on-site investigations of driver training providers, which resulted in:
- 448 notices of proposed removals issued to schools that failed to meet basic safety standards
- 109 training providers voluntarily removed themselves from the Training Provider Registry upon hearing investigators were on the way
An additional 97 training providers remain under investigation for compliance issues.
Common violations included:
- Unqualified teachers: Instructors did not even hold the correct licenses or permits — such as for school buses —for the vehicles they were teaching their students to drive
- Improper vehicles: Schools were using vehicles that didn’t match the type of training being offered
- Incomplete assessments: Providers failed to properly test students on basic requirements
- State non-compliance: Schools admitted to investigators that they did not even meet their own state’s specific requirements
“We mobilized hundreds of investigators to visit these schools in person to ensure strict compliance with federal safety standards,” said FMCSA Administrator Derek D. Barrs. “If a school isn't using the right vehicles or if their instructors aren't qualified, they have no business training the next generation of truckers or school bus drivers.”
One of the industry's leading advocacy organizations applauded FMCSA's crackdown on unscrupulous CDL schools.
Todd Spencer, president of theOwner Operator Independent Drivers Association said, "OOIDA and professional truck drivers across America commend the Trump Administration for taking decisive action to restore integrity to the CDL training system. Shutting down hundreds of sham trucking schools that fail to meet even basic federal standards is a significant step toward protecting the motoring public and defending the professionalism of America’s truck drivers.
"For years, CDL mills have fueled a destructive churn driven by the false narrative of a nationwide truck driver shortage. Rather than fix retention problems and working conditions, some in the industry chose to cut corners and push undertrained drivers onto the road. That approach has undermined safety and devalued the entire trucking profession.
"Secretary Duffy and Administrator Barrs are sending a clear message today that safety comes first and that training is a priority.”
The FMCSA's focus on CDL schools at the same time it has states under its microscope for how they issue non-domiciled CDLs. Duffy has threatened numerous states with the loss of highway funds if they do not change how they issues non-domiciled CDLs.
