Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Monday, August 31, that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is removing 110 commercial driver’s license training schools from the federal Training Provider Registry and issuing notices of proposed removal to more than 160 additional schools, a combined total of about 270 locations. The removals come as the Trump Administration continues to crack down on illegal aliens operating commercial vehicles on American roads.
The 110 schools must immediately stop administering curricula, using training facilities, and conducting behind-the-wheel instruction. Officials said those providers were linked to more than 5,000 drivers later cited for failing English-language proficiency checks during roadside inspections.
Each of the 110 schools had passed at least 10 such drivers, according to a press release from the Justice Department.
Duffy described the first group as the largest sources of those violations. “Today, what we are announcing is an emergency executive shutdown of 110 driving schools,” he said. “These are driving schools that account for 5,000 of the violations for English proficiency.”
The secretary went on to stress the administration’s emphasis on English proficiency tests that have often been ignored by many of the affected locations. “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,” he noted.
For the additional 160 locations that were given notices of proposed removal, Duffy cited inadequate space for required maneuvers, unlicensed instructors, missing documentation, and classrooms that did not meet federal standards.
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BREAKING: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announces an emergency executive shutdown of 110 driving schools tied to thousands of English proficiency violations.
“You have to speak English to operate a commercial motor vehicle.”
Duffy says the schools account for 5,000… pic.twitter.com/EmGzehEICt
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 31, 2026
The announcement comes after investigators inspected nearly 400 providers in 40 states and reported that about 40 percent did not meet registry rules. Drivers certified by schools in the proposed-removal group were linked to 239 commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities, according to federal officials.
A Department of Transportation breakdown of the emergency shutdowns listed the largest counts in Pennsylvania (13), Texas (13), California (11), Florida (10), Utah (9), and Ohio (7), with smaller numbers in other states and 23 online-only schools with no physical site. Named examples included Platinum Plus Truck Driving School in California, which certified 36 drivers later cited for language violations, and ASC Technical Institute in Texas, which certified 58 such drivers.
Duffy further stated that officials identified 10 third-party skills testers in one state who issued more than 2,000 commercial licenses to people who later could not meet English requirements
Since June 2025, more than 28,000 commercial drivers have been placed out of service for English-proficiency violations, and the department says states have been required to cancel more than 30,000 licenses issued to foreign drivers that did not meet federal rules.
“USDOT has spent the last year-and-a-half strengthening the rules of the road and removing dangerous foreign drivers from our trucking industry. To fully root out the scourge of fraud, hold criminals accountable, and restore safety, we need the support of federal law enforcement,” Duffy said in a written statement.
“I am so grateful for President Trump raising the alarm on this issue, and to Vice President Vance for leading the charge to crack down on fraud nationwide. From states failing to follow the law to shady training schools and illicit companies, together we will tackle every link in the chain.”
