DOT expands enforcement to carriers

U.S. transportation officials used an August 31 enforcement announcement to warn trucking companies that the federal crackdown on commercial driver’s license fraud is moving beyond driver schools and into carrier hiring practices. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the Department of Transportation, Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice are coordinating new actions that include removing 110 CDL schools, auditing third-party skills testers and pursuing illegal practices through a new interagency task force. Transport Topics and FleetOwner reported that Duffy also told carriers not to hire drivers who cannot speak or read English. The latest move extends a campaign that earlier focused on training providers and noncompliant drivers. ### Why are carriers now part of the story? Sean Duffy used the August 31 event to put fleets on notice directly. “Watch out. We’re going to come and look at you as well,” Duffy said, according to FleetOwner. He added: “Don’t hire people who can’t speak English or can’t read English, or you’re all going to be subject to this task force.” (transportation.gov) The Department of Transportation said the new Joint Task Force Crossroads of America will align DOT regulatory powers with federal law-enforcement operations to target fraud, waste and abuse in trucking. The department said DOJ is participating alongside DOT and DHS, indicating the effort is no longer limited to administrative action against schools on the Training Provider Registry. (fleetowner.com) ### What did the government announce this week? The Department of Transportation said 110 CDL schools were removed under emergency authority and linked those schools to more than 5,000 drivers who failed English-language proficiency tests. The agency also said a 40-state investigation identified more than 160 additional training schools for apparent violations, including missing behind-the-wheel training facilities. (transportation.gov) FMCSA also said it is launching a nationwide audit of third-party CDL skills testers and of state oversight of those testers. Transport Topics reported the audit was part of the same September 1 announcement in which Duffy said the 110 schools were “the greatest offenders.” ### Where do the English-test and non-U.S.-citizen proposals fit? FleetOwner reported that industry sources discussing the September 1 enforcement push said proposals on the table included revoking CDLs issued to non-U.S. citizens and requiring English-language exams for license applicants. (transportation.gov) Those proposals fit with earlier 2026 federal actions focused on non-domiciled CDLs and English-language enforcement. (ttnews.com) A February FMCSA rule, as described by FleetOwner, sought to tighten eligibility and verification for non-domiciled CDLs and reduce the number issued by states. An April compliance analysis by FleetOwner said enforcement was already shifting more responsibility onto carriers as federal scrutiny expanded across English proficiency, medical qualification and CDL oversight. (fleetowner.com) ### What changes for fleets right now? The federal Training Provider Registry is the system training providers use to certify entry-level driver training required before some CDL tests and endorsements. Removing a school from that registry cuts off its ability to certify new drivers through the federal system. For carriers, the immediate issue is exposure tied to who they hire and how those drivers were trained and tested. (fleetowner.com) DOT’s own enforcement data portal shows FMCSA already closes enforcement cases against motor carriers and other entities through civil penalties, and the new task force adds a criminal-enforcement channel when officials believe fraud is involved. That connection — administrative compliance plus DOJ coordination — is the practical change signaled this week. (tpr.fmcsa.dot.gov) ### Why did autonomous trucks show up in the same conversation? Transport Topics separately reported on September 1 that TFI International plans to start with autonomous Class 8 trucks in less-than-truckload linehaul operations in 2027. In that article, University of South Florida researcher Arman Sargolzaei said “the terminal-to-terminal linehaul portion is particularly attractive” because routes are predictable, frequently traveled and largely highway-based. (data.transportation.gov) That autonomous-trucking item was a separate Transport Topics report, not part of the CDL-fraud enforcement announcement. But it landed the same day and underscored a broader industry split between tighter scrutiny of human-driver qualification and continued investment in highway automation for long, repeatable lanes. FMCSA said the next steps include nationwide tester audits and continued investigations across states and training providers. (ttnews.com) The Joint Task Force Crossroads of America, announced August 31 by DOT, DHS and DOJ, is the named vehicle for any expanded prosecutions tied to carrier hiring or CDL fraud. (transportation.gov)