Trump Administration Launches Major Crackdown on Trucking Industry Fraud

DETROIT — The Trump administration announced a sweeping “historic” initiative on Monday aimed at rooting out widespread fraud within the American trucking industry. During a press conference in Detroit, federal officials revealed that they are shutting down 270 driving schools found to be non-compliant with federal regulations, marking a significant escalation in the government’s effort to address safety and immigration concerns on U.S. highways.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, joined by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, framed the move as a necessary course correction following what they described as a period of regulatory failure during the Biden administration. According to Duffy, tens of thousands of commercial drivers’ licenses (CDLs) were improperly issued over the past several years, with many recipients being illegal immigrants who lacked the mandatory English proficiency required for the job.

“It’s unacceptable. When you see people die on the road, you don’t forget that,” said Derek Barrs, chief of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Barrs noted that federal investigators audited 400 driving schools, finding that 40% of them were in violation of safety and testing requirements.

The administration has moved to permanently shutter 110 schools identified as the “greatest offenders”—facilities where at least 10 graduates were later cited by law enforcement for English proficiency violations during routine roadside stops. An additional 160 schools were closed for various infractions, including lacking the necessary physical space for conducting driving tests and utilizing unlicensed instructors.

Secretary Mullin highlighted the severity of the threat, pointing to specific instances where administrative negligence led to security risks. He alleged that internal reviews uncovered cases where commercial licenses were issued with “no name given” in the records.

“These individuals are dangerous, and because of the failure from the previous administration, they’ve killed hundreds of people and, unfortunately, injured thousands,” Mullin stated.

The administration’s aggressive approach follows a series of high-profile, deadly crashes involving unqualified drivers, which have intensified the trucking fraud crackdown. Federal officials emphasized that this effort is part of a broader commitment to public safety, asserting that the systemic issues allowed under the previous administration created a public danger that required immediate, decisive intervention.

As the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security continue their investigation, officials warned that the crackdown on “CDL mills” is only the beginning of a larger push to ensure that every operator on American roads is properly vetted, trained, and documented according to federal law.