The DOT and Department of Homeland Security are inspecting training providers, testing organizations and trucking companies as part of a broader campaign against commercial driver’s license fraud
The United States has launched an unprecedented interagency review of its truck driver training and employment system. The initiative was formally announced on August 31, 2026, with major enforcement activity beginning around the start of September.
The operation involves the US Department of Transportation, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, immigration authorities and federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
CDL training schools, third-party testing centers, trucking companies and foreign commercial drivers are among the main targets. Authorities are investigating suspected license fraud, unauthorized employment, document falsification and violations of federal safety requirements.
More Than 200 Schools and Businesses Face Inspections
During a coordinated nationwide action, DHS offices served inspection notices on more than 200 schools and businesses across 23 states.
Most of these actions involved Notices of Inspection requiring organizations to provide employment, training and immigration-compliance records. Describing every inspection as a physical raid would therefore be inaccurate, as many cases are being handled through administrative procedures.
At the same time, the DOT ordered the emergency removal of more than 110 training providers from the FMCSA Training Provider Registry. According to the department, the organizations were linked to more than 5,000 drivers who failed English-language proficiency checks.
More than 160 additional providers received notices of proposed removal. Their exclusion is not yet final, meaning the organizations may submit evidence or challenge the regulator’s findings.
“We will examine every link in the chain,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, referring to noncompliant states, questionable schools and unlawful trucking operations.
What Investigators Found at CDL Schools
FMCSA reported that 175 investigators conducted nearly 400 investigations across 40 states in July. Inspectors identified training locations without sufficient space to teach required truck maneuvers and cases involving instructors who lacked appropriate qualifications.
Some providers reportedly could not produce records showing that students had completed mandatory instruction and assessments. Authorities are also examining allegedly fraudulent classroom arrangements in which required training may have existed only on paper.
Third-party CDL skills testers are facing a separate nationwide audit. Federal regulators want to determine whether states are properly overseeing these organizations and preventing commercial licenses from being issued without genuine skills testing.
The DOT said drivers associated with more than 160 of the providers under review had been involved in 239 fatal commercial-vehicle crashes. The figure does not, by itself, establish that school violations caused each crash. Individual investigations would be required to prove such a connection.
Immigrant Drivers Are Also Being Examined
Federal agencies are simultaneously conducting several operations targeting foreign nationals who may be working illegally in the US trucking industry.
Operation Guardrail focuses on individuals who allegedly lack lawful immigration or employment status but hold commercial driver’s licenses. Operation ICE Wall examines drivers and companies connected with people subject to final removal orders. Operation Freightliner coordinates federal, state and local commercial-vehicle inspections.
Enforcement activity has placed particular emphasis on Maine, Michigan and Wisconsin, with additional coordinated inspections in Florida, Illinois and Indiana.
However, immigration status and professional qualification are separate issues. The campaign does not prohibit all foreign-born drivers from working in the United States. US citizens, lawful permanent residents and eligible foreign workers may obtain commercial licenses when they meet the applicable requirements.
Federal rules that took effect on March 16, 2026, significantly narrowed eligibility for non-domiciled CDLs. These licenses are now generally limited to specific categories of lawful foreign workers, including certain H-2A, H-2B and E-2 visa holders. FMCSA has published detailed guidance on the new non-domiciled CDL rules.
Investigations Go Beyond Driver Licensing
DHS is examining whether certain trucking companies and training providers may be connected to broader criminal schemes. Investigations can involve identity-document fraud, illegal employment, money laundering and labor exploitation.
Federal authorities are also reviewing possible links involving human smuggling, drug trafficking and organized criminal groups. DHS has distributed more than 1,000 leads concerning businesses suspected of unsafe, exploitative or unlawful practices.
More than 80 employer inspection notices had already been issued when the operation was announced, while several criminal investigations were underway. An inspection or notice, however, does not by itself establish that a company committed an offense.
States Could Face Funding Penalties
The federal government is also increasing pressure on states to improve their oversight of CDL issuance, testing organizations and driver-training providers.
When a state commercial licensing program fails to meet federal requirements, FMCSA can order a corrective action plan. Continued noncompliance may result in the loss of up to 4% of federal highway funding during the first year and 8% in subsequent years.
The most serious measure would be decertification. A decertified state could be prevented from issuing, renewing, transferring or upgrading commercial driver’s licenses until it corrects the violations.
According to the latest US Department of Transportation statement, more than 28,000 commercial drivers have been removed from the road for failing English-language proficiency requirements over the past year and a half. States were also instructed to cancel more than 30,000 licenses that the DOT says were improperly issued to foreign drivers.
Impact on the US Freight Market
The operation could temporarily reduce the number of available commercial drivers, particularly among smaller carriers that rely heavily on foreign labor or private training providers.
Trucking companies will likely conduct more extensive checks of licenses, medical documents, employment authorization and Entry-Level Driver Training records. Higher compliance costs could have the greatest impact on small fleets and independent owner-operators.
Federal authorities expect the campaign to remove businesses that gain an unfair advantage by using unqualified drivers, fraudulent training or unlawful employment practices. In the longer term, stricter oversight could improve road safety and create more equal conditions for compliant carriers.
As K2Cargo.News previously reported, US states continue to revise commercial-vehicle regulations as they attempt to balance highway capacity with the safety of interactions between passenger vehicles and heavy trucks.
