Almost 44% of the 16,000 truck driving schools in the U.S. could face closure if they lose students following a federal Transportation Department review that indicated potential non-compliance with government standards.
On Monday, the Transportation Department announced plans to revoke certifications for around 3,000 schools unless they can meet training standards within the next 30 days. These schools are required to inform their students about the jeopardized status of their certification. An additional 4,500 schools have been warned they might face similar consequences.
Schools that lose their certification won’t be able to provide the necessary documentation to students who successfully complete training, likely leading to a drop in enrollment.
In a related action, the Department of Homeland Security is auditing trucking companies in California owned by immigrants to verify the qualifications and status of their drivers regarding commercial driver’s licenses.
This initiative represents the government’s ongoing efforts to ensure truck drivers are properly qualified, a response that was prompted by a fatal crash caused by a driver lacking legal authorization, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The crackdown seeks to eliminate “illegal and reckless practices” that allow inadequately trained drivers to operate commercial vehicles.
Duffy has cautioned that federal funding could be withheld from states like California and Pennsylvania over these issues, while also proposing strict new regulations on immigrant qualifications for commercial driver’s licenses, though a court has paused these rules. He has issued a similar threat to Minnesota, warning it could lose $30.4 million if it doesn’t rectify issues within its licensing program.
While the impact on driver shortages from decertification of these schools remains uncertain, Andrew Poliakoff, the executive director of the largest trucking schools association, states many of the affected schools were questionable “CDL mills” that often only offered brief training periods. Established schools, in contrast, typically require at least a month of comprehensive instruction.
