Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy ordered the immediate closure of 270 commercial driver’s licensing schools Monday, citing systematic violations that placed unqualified and illegal immigrant drivers behind the wheels of 18-wheelers on American highways.

Systematic Training Failures Exposed

Federal authorities removed 110 CDL schools from the Training Provider Registry after discovering they graduated 5,000 students who could not speak English, violating decades-old federal requirements for commercial vehicle operation. Another 160 schools faced suspension for fraudulent facility claims, including operations that listed a single truck or small parking lot as their entire training center. The crackdown targets roughly 31,000 CDL schools nationwide that previously operated under a self-certification system allowing institutions to verify their own compliance with federal standards without independent oversight.

Duffy announced the enforcement action at a Detroit press conference alongside Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and federal prosecutors. He emphasized that English language proficiency requirements for commercial drivers have existed for decades, not as new policy but as longstanding safety standards deliberately ignored by these training facilities.

Fatal Consequences of Failed Enforcement

The Transportation Secretary revealed that 239 Americans died in crashes caused by non-English speaking truck drivers since January 2025, with California issuing the majority of licenses used by operators involved in fatal collisions. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Derek Barrs cited specific cases, including Platinum Plus Truck Driving School in California, which certified 36 drivers later cited for English language violations. One graduate killed someone in Oklahoma. ASC Technical Institute in Texas certified 58 violators, including one who ran a stop sign and killed a local resident.

Five-year-old Delilah Coleman attended the announcement, having suffered a brain injury in 2024 when an Indian illegal immigrant caused a multi-vehicle pileup with his 18-wheeler in California. Every one of the 110 schools shut down for English proficiency violations had certified at least 10 drivers who subsequently received citations from law enforcement during roadside inspections.

Ending Self-Certification Loopholes

The previous administration implemented a self-certification system allowing trucking schools to declare their own compliance with federal training standards without verification. States issue commercial driver’s licenses enabling holders to cross state lines, but the federal government maintains authority over national safety standards and training school oversight. Mullin, who obtained his own CDL at age 21, contrasted the rigorous training requirements he faced with the systematic corner-cutting exposed in this investigation. The closures represent the Trump administration’s efforts to restore enforcement of existing safety regulations rather than creating new restrictions on the commercial transportation industry.