WASHINGTON, D.C. — Illinois could lose $128 million in federal highway funding after a federal audit found that nearly one in five non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses issued by the state did not comply with federal rules, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
What This Means for You
- Illinois has 30 days to revoke or correct improperly issued commercial driver’s licenses.
- More than 550 CDL training schools nationwide face removal from the federal registry.
- CDL tests will now be required to be administered in English under new federal guidance.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, or FMCSA — the federal agency that regulates commercial truck and bus safety — notified Illinois officials that an audit of the state’s non-domiciled commercial driver’s license program identified significant compliance failures.
A non-domiciled CDL is issued to individuals who are not permanent residents of a state but seek commercial driving privileges there.
According to USDOT, the review found licenses were issued to drivers whose lawful presence in the United States had expired and to others whose lawful status was not properly verified.
Illinois has been directed to immediately pause issuance of non-domiciled CDLs, identify and revoke noncompliant licenses, and conduct a comprehensive internal audit. If the state fails to take corrective action within 30 days, it risks losing $128 million in federal highway funding.
“I need our state partners to understand that they work for the American people,” Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said, adding that the administration intends to reinstate what he described as commonsense safety standards.
FMCSA Administrator Derek D. Barrs said the agency will be “relentless” in enforcing compliance with federal motor carrier safety regulations.
Nationwide CDL School Enforcement
In a separate action, the department announced that more than 550 CDL training providers received notices of proposed removal from FMCSA’s national training provider registry after compliance reviews.
Over five days, FMCSA investigators conducted 1,426 on-site investigations in all 50 states. The effort resulted in 448 notices of proposed removal and 109 voluntary withdrawals from the registry by providers upon learning of inspections. An additional 97 training providers remain under investigation.
Common violations included instructors lacking proper licenses, use of improper training vehicles, incomplete student assessments, and failure to meet state-specific requirements.
“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,” Barrs said.
The national training provider registry is the federal database that lists schools authorized to provide entry-level driver training required for certain CDL applicants.
English Proficiency and Testing Changes
The department also announced that CDL tests will now be required to be administered in English. Under new guidance, commercial motor vehicle drivers who do not meet longstanding English-language proficiency requirements may be placed out of service.
Commercial motor vehicles include large trucks and buses typically weighing more than 26,000 pounds.
The actions are part of broader enforcement measures that also include upgrading FMCSA’s registration system with additional identity verification requirements and conducting a nationwide audit of non-domiciled CDL programs.
Air Traffic Control Modernization
Separately, Secretary Duffy visited Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to highlight the deployment of electronic flight strips in the air traffic control tower.
Electronic flight strips replace paper-based flight tracking with a digital system that provides real-time updates and improves coordination among air traffic controllers.
The upgrade is part of the Terminal Flight Data Manager program and has been deployed at 15 airports nationwide. According to USDOT, the modernization was supported by $12.5 billion in air traffic control funding included in recent federal legislation.
The department said the technology is intended to improve efficiency and safety by helping controllers manage traffic volume, weather disruptions, and surface operations more effectively.
Additional information on the department’s roadway safety initiatives is available at https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/securing-our-roads-two-pager.
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