Image from the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, February 18, 2026 Press Release.
On Wednesday, 550 CDL truck driving schools and training facilities were found in violation of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) standards.
These sham organizations received notices that they are to be removed from the registry of federally authorized truck driver training providers. Thousands more have been removed over the last couple of months.
Sean P. Duffy, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, was sworn into office by Trump in January, 2025. Over the last few months, Duffy has launched a serious crackdown across the country on CDL training mills (sham truck driving schools) and noncompliant training programs.
Over a recent 5-day period, FMCSA sent over 300 investigators to 50 states.
They conducted 1,426 on-site sting investigations of driver training providers (schools).
Some of these locations even previously trained school bus drivers. Here are the results of that 5-day sting.
448 truck driving schools were removed for failing to meet basic safety standards.
109 training providers voluntarily shut down their businesses after learning of these investigations.
Two months ago, the FMCSA removed nearly 3,000 CDL training providers from their Training Provider Registry (TPR).
However, most of those schools were idle, so it won’t likely have much impact on keeping unqualified truck drivers off our roads.
The Registry website shows the location of training schools in your area, the removed schools, how to file complaints, and so on.
This past December, 4,000 providers were placed on notice for noncompliance with the new ELDT training standards.
In February 2022, the federal government (FMCSA) established a single, national training standard for obtaining a CDL truck driver’s license.
The ELDT training must be completed before entry-level truck drivers can take skills and knowledge tests, and obtain that valuable CDL license.
In 2021, Congress mandated the ELDT program. However, cach State was responsible for providing its own training requirements. That ended with the 2022 rule change.
The new ELDT training requirements aren’t just for truck drivers. The standards require specific training for bus drivers and those transporting hazardous materials too.
The new ELDT curriculum includes theory (classroom & online instruction) and behind-the-wheel (BTW) training. Theory classroom training covers things like trip planning, medical requirements, drug testing, vehicle safety, and so on.
The entire program has 5 areas of instruction: Basic Operation, Safe Operating Procedures, Advanced Operating Practices, Systems & Reporting Malfunctions, and Non-Driving Activities.
Some of the violations from the recent 5-day sting include:
Unqualified Instructors: Many teachers didn’t even have a CDL license themselves for the vehicles they were teaching students to drive.
Wrong Vehicles: Schools were using the wrong vehicles. The trucks didn’t match the training offered.
Incomplete Assessments: Schools failed to test students on basic requirements.
State Non-Compliance: Many admitted to investigators that their curriculum didn’t even meet their own state’s requirements.
Active Investigations: 97 schools remain under investigation for compliance issues.
After hearing about these 550 school removals, the American Trucking Association posted a press release stating: “ATA Applauds USDOT’s Continued Crackdown on CDL Mills, and made the following public statement.
“We commend the Trump Administration for taking decisive action to strengthen the integrity of our commercial driver training system and reinforce its commitment to safer roads.
“The proposed removal or voluntary withdrawal of more than 550 CDL training providers from the national Training Provider Registry makes clear there is no place in trucking for sham schools that fail to meet federal requirements.
“Our industry depends on safe, skilled, and well-trained drivers. That begins with training providers that meet and uphold rigorous federal curriculum and qualification standards. We support strong oversight, including random audits across the states, to ensure compliance and protect the integrity of the driver pipeline. The more than 1,400 on-site investigations FMCSA conducted nationwide as part of this operation demonstrates its ongoing willingness to weed out bad actors.
“Combined with enforcing federal driver qualification standards and maintaining consistent compliance reviews, these steps are critical to strengthening the CDL system and ensuring every driver who gets behind the wheel is well prepared to operate safely.”
The CDL (Commercial Driver License) originated from the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986. The new federally mandated ELDT rule was supposed to ensure all CDL drivers obtain high-quality instruction from approved providers. It’s supposed to produce safer, more knowledgeable drivers for our roadways.
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