WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Transportation Department is expanding its investigation of about 75 commercial driver’s license training schools suspected of falsifying records, issuing improper certifications or failing to train applicants adequately, bringing Homeland Security investigators into a broader crackdown on licensing fraud.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration identified the schools through its oversight of entry-level driver training providers. Homeland Security Investigations will assist with the cases, the departments disclosed.
The suspected violations include fabricated training records, improper certification of drivers and failure to provide federally required instruction before applicants seek commercial licenses.
The agencies did not identify the schools, disclose their locations or specify how many students or commercial licenses may be connected to the suspected conduct.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described Homeland Security’s involvement as a “force multiplier” for enforcement across the trucking industry.
“USDOT has spent the last year rooting out bad actors from our trucking industry,” Duffy stated.
The initiative broadens federal scrutiny of the private schools that prepare applicants to operate tractor-trailers, buses and other commercial vehicles. Deficient or falsified training can allow unqualified drivers to enter an industry in which licensing standards are tied directly to public safety.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated that the agencies would investigate training schools and work to strengthen the integrity of the licensing system.
The departments linked the operation to concerns about commercial licenses issued to foreign drivers. The information released did not establish that every school under investigation trained undocumented immigrants or that immigration-related violations were involved in all 75 cases.
FMCSA maintains a national registry of providers authorized to deliver federally required entry-level driver training.
The Transportation Department began removing providers from that registry in December 2025 for failing to meet federal requirements. Nearly 10,000 schools have since been removed, according to the department.
In February, FMCSA also issued proposed removal notices to more than 550 schools accused of violating federal safety and training standards.
Duffy stated that federal enforcement actions have also led states to cancel more than 28,000 commercial licenses the department characterized as improperly issued to foreign drivers.
The department reported that more than 24,000 commercial drivers were placed out of service for failing federal English-language proficiency requirements. It did not provide a timeline, methodology or case-level breakdown for those figures.
Support the local news that supports Chester County. MyChesCo delivers reliable, fact-based reporting and essential community resources—free for everyone. If you value that, click here to become a patron today.