Trump Orders 110 CDL Schools Shut Over English-Proficiency Fraud

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110 commercial driver’s license schools ordered closed by the Trump administration for failing federal English-language proficiency requirements.

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy declared an emergency executive shutdown Monday targeting the schools, which certified more than 5,000 drivers who failed English Language Proficiency requirements. The sweeping enforcement action represents one of the most significant federal interventions in commercial driver training oversight in recent years, affecting institutions across multiple states that had been operating under federal certification.

Federal law has long required commercial motor vehicle operators to demonstrate basic English proficiency as a safety measure, enabling drivers to communicate with law enforcement, understand road signage, respond to inspection requests, and coordinate with emergency responders. The requirement exists to ensure that drivers operating large vehicles weighing up to 80,000 pounds can navigate complex traffic situations and respond appropriately to official instructions.

“You have to speak English to operate a commercial motor vehicle. I didn’t create that rule. President Trump didn’t create that rule. That rule has been in place for decades.”

The crackdown comes as officials announced a broader effort to eliminate fraud in the trucking industry. An additional 160-plus schools were shut down over separate violations — inadequate space for training, uncertified instructors, missing classrooms. The combined closure of more than 270 training facilities marks an unprecedented disruption to the commercial driver certification pipeline at a time when the trucking industry continues to face persistent workforce shortages.

Industry analysts have documented ongoing challenges in recruiting and retaining qualified commercial drivers, with some estimates suggesting a shortage of tens of thousands of drivers nationwide. The closure of these schools could further tighten the supply of new drivers entering the workforce, though administration officials argue that prioritizing properly trained, compliant drivers ultimately enhances public safety and industry integrity.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin — who earned his own CDL at 21 — blamed the Biden administration for enabling the fraud. His personal experience in the commercial trucking sector informs his perspective on the rigor traditionally expected of CDL candidates and the training process they undergo.

“The Biden administration flooded millions of illegal aliens into our country and turned a blind eye to these reckless drivers who can’t even read American road signs.”

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, more than 28,000 drivers have been placed out of service for English-proficiency violations since June 2025. This figure suggests widespread non-compliance that had accumulated over an extended period, raising questions about the adequacy of previous oversight mechanisms and whether state-level licensing authorities had been sufficiently monitoring language proficiency among applicants.

The scale of out-of-service designations indicates that enforcement priorities may have shifted substantially between administrations, with the current leadership viewing language proficiency as a critical safety standard worthy of aggressive enforcement rather than a technicality subject to flexible interpretation.

The Department of Justice explained the FMCSA has regulatory tools to hold noncompliant states accountable when they issue licenses to individuals who fail federal standards.

States that fail to comply after a formal review and response window could lose up to 4% of their federal highway funding — or face decertification, which bars them from issuing, renewing, transferring, or upgrading commercial driver’s licenses. These financial penalties could amount to millions of dollars for larger states, creating significant budgetary pressure to align state licensing practices with federal requirements.

The threat of decertification represents an even more severe consequence, as it would effectively shut down a state’s ability to credential commercial drivers entirely, forcing officials to choose between compliance and the complete halt of new driver licensing within their jurisdiction.

Duffy’s Monday announcement signals the Trump administration is escalating enforcement after years of alleged negligence under Biden-era policies that critics say prioritized speed over safety in the trucking certification pipeline. The administration’s characterization of the previous approach suggests a fundamental disagreement over how to balance workforce development needs against safety and compliance standards in an industry critical to the national economy.

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