Thousands of CDL Trainers Shut Down [WATCH]

The Trump administration’s Department of Transportation announced a broad enforcement action on Monday aimed at tightening oversight of commercial driver training programs and ensuring compliance with federal safety standards.

DOT Secretary Sean Duffy said the department revoked nearly 3,000 of the approximately 16,000 commercial driver’s license (CDL) training providers listed in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Training Provider Registry.

The Training Provider Registry includes all organizations authorized to offer entry-level driver instruction for CDL applicants.

According to a DOT press release, the providers removed from the registry were cited for “failing to equip trainees with the Trump administration’s standards of readiness.”

The department listed several reasons for removal, including “falsifying or manipulating training data”; “neglecting to meet required curriculum standards, facility conditions, or instructor qualifications”; and “failing to maintain accurate, complete documentation or refusing to provide records during federal audits or investigations.”

DOT officials said that in addition to the revoked providers, another 4,500 organizations were issued warnings for potential non-compliance and given 30 days to submit evidence demonstrating compliance with federal rules.

Providers that fail to do so may also be removed from the registry.

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FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs said the department’s action is intended to prevent unqualified drivers from entering the country’s commercial trucking workforce.

“If you are unwilling to follow the rules, you have no place training America’s commercial drivers. We will not tolerate negligence,” Barrs said.

Secretary Duffy said the enforcement effort is part of a broader crackdown on “corrupt operators” in the trucking sector.

“This administration is cracking down on every link in the illegal trucking chain,” Duffy said.

“Under Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg, bad actors were able to game the system and let unqualified drivers flood our roadways. Their negligence endangered every family on America’s roadways, and it ends today.”

He added, “Under President Trump, we are reigning [sic] in illegal and reckless practices that let poorly trained drivers get behind the wheel of semi-trucks and school buses.”

Also on Monday, the DOT released findings from a federal audit of Minnesota’s CDL program.

According to the department, one-third of the state’s non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses were issued illegally.

DOT officials said Minnesota has 30 days to correct the violations and revoke licenses issued in violation of federal rules.

If the state does not comply, up to $30.4 million in federal highway funding may be withheld.

Barrs said Minnesota “openly and blatantly” violated federal requirements.

“Under the Trump administration, states have two choices: Meet our standards or face the consequences. Following the law is not optional,” he said.

Duffy said the audit results reflect broader issues in the state’s licensing system.

“Our audit exposes yet another example of foreigners taking advantage of Minnesota services under Governor Walz’s watch,” Duffy said.

“Minnesota failed to follow the law and illegally doled out trucking licenses to unsafe, unqualified noncitizens — endangering American families on the road.”

The warning to Minnesota follows earlier enforcement actions by the DOT.

The department previously took similar steps against Pennsylvania and has already announced plans to withhold federal funding from California after determining the state failed to comply with CDL issuance regulations.