The U.S. Department of Transportation is threatening to shut down thousands of truck driving schools, part of the Trump administration’s widening crackdown on trucking schools and drivers.
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WASHINGTON — A sweeping initiative by the U.S. Department of Transportation is set to affect numerous truck driving schools across the country. As part of an expanded effort under the Trump administration, the department is preparing to close thousands of these training facilities unless they meet stringent federal guidelines within a month.
Announced recently, the Department of Transportation intends to rescind the accreditation of approximately 3,000 trucking schools and trainers unless they achieve compliance with federal standards in the next 30 days. Furthermore, nearly 4,000 additional institutions have been cautioned about potential similar measures.
“We are reigning in illegal and reckless practices that let poorly trained drivers get behind the wheel of semi-trucks and school buses,” stated Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. His comments underscore a pressing concern about safety and regulatory adherence across the trucking training sector.
The schools and trainers identified have not been publicly named yet, but they collectively account for over 40% of the nation’s 16,000 certified training providers, according to DOT data. The department accuses these entities of various infractions, including falsifying training data, not adhering to curriculum standards, and failing to maintain accurate records.
This rigorous approach to trucking schools is part of a broader campaign by the Trump administration to ensure that all commercial drivers are properly qualified to hold a commercial driver’s license (CDL).
In parallel, the DOT has introduced proposed restrictions targeting immigrants seeking CDLs. However, these new rules have been temporarily halted by a federal appeals court due to legal challenges. The push for heightened regulations has been partly driven by a series of deadly incidents involving foreign-born truckers, including a tragic accident in Florida last August that resulted in three fatalities.
Secretary Duffy has argued that such measures are vital, citing concerns over foreign-born drivers’ proficiency in English and their understanding of traffic laws.
Critics of the administration argue that the measures lack empirical support and suggest that the policy is an indirect form of immigration control. They emphasize that the focus on immigrant drivers is misplaced, as some high-profile crashes have drawn disproportionate media attention.
The situation places immigrant truckers in a precarious position, especially those with considerable experience. “The safety crackdown has been long overdue,” commented Pawan Singh, a small trucking company owner in Northern Virginia.
In a previous interview with NPR, Singh acknowledged that the issue of inadequately trained drivers is not exclusive to immigrant truckers. “An untrained driver is dangerous whether they were born here or they were born overseas,” Singh observed, emphasizing the universal nature of the problem.
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
