Federal Review Flags Widespread Noncompliance, Thousands of Trucking Schools Face Accreditation Loss
Nearly half of the nation’s truck-driving schools are facing possible shutdown after a federal review found widespread failures to meet basic government training standards. According to the Transportation Department, roughly 44 percent of the 16,000 schools operating in the U.S. fell short of federal requirements, putting thousands of commercial driver candidates at risk of receiving inadequate or falsified instruction.
Federal officials said Monday they plan to revoke accreditation from nearly 3,000 schools unless they can meet compliance standards within the next 30 days. Another 4,000 schools have been formally warned that they could face similar penalties if they don’t make immediate corrections.
The review marks the latest escalation in the government’s efforts to tighten oversight of truck-driver training. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy initiated the crackdown after a fatal Florida crash in which a truck driver who was not authorized to be in the United States made an illegal U-turn, killing three people.
That case sparked a broader push from Duffy to enforce eligibility rules for commercial licenses, including pressure campaigns threatening to pull federal funds from California and Pennsylvania over their licensing practices. A separate proposal to restrict which immigrants can obtain commercial driver’s licenses remains tied up in court.
“We are reigning in illegal and reckless practices that let poorly trained drivers get behind the wheel of semi-trucks and school buses,” Duffy said, pointing to falsified training records and inadequate instruction at the schools now under scrutiny.
According to the Transportation Department, the targeted schools failed to meet federally required training standards and did not maintain complete or accurate records. Investigators also accused some institutions of manipulating or fabricating training data to push students through programs more quickly.
The department has not released the list of schools facing enforcement, leaving students, employers, and state licensing agencies waiting to see how deeply the fallout will spread.
