Federal agencies are joining forces to target suspected CDL fraud, training violations and illegal trucking practices, with more than 200 schools facing a synchronized DHS inspection surge across 23 states.
WASHINGTON — The federal government is escalating its campaign against suspected fraud and safety violations in the U.S. trucking industry, bringing together the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of Justice (DOJ), the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and state and local law enforcement.
The centerpiece of the new campaign is the Joint Task Force Crossroads of America, a multi-state enforcement partnership designed to investigate trucking-related fraud, strengthen highway safety and pursue criminal networks operating across the commercial transportation sector.
At the same time, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced the emergency removal of more than 110 commercial driver training providers from its Training Provider Registry. Those providers are associated with more than 5,000 drivers who were cited for failing federal English Language Proficiency requirements.
The announcement came Monday, August 31, as federal officials described the coordinated operation as a major effort to attack problems across the trucking system rather than focusing only on individual drivers.
What Is the Joint Task Force Crossroads of America?
The newly created Joint Task Force Crossroads of America brings together federal prosecutors and law enforcement agencies with state and local partners.
The task force includes U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, working with agencies including the DOT, FMCSA, FBI, DEA, HSI, ICE and ATF.
Its objectives extend beyond CDL violations. Federal officials say the task force will work to:
- Improve roadway safety
- Reduce fatalities and serious injuries
- Disrupt illegal trucking practices
- Investigate fraud and criminal activity
- Develop more consistent enforcement strategies across states
- Pursue individuals and organizations believed to be exploiting the trucking system
That makes the announcement significant: authorities are treating trucking-related fraud as both a transportation safety issue and, in some investigations, a broader criminal and border-security concern.
DHS Plans Inspections at More Than 200 Trucking-Related Schools
DHS’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is conducting a synchronized enforcement surge involving more than 200 driving schools across 23 states.
The operation targets CDL-related businesses, schools, carriers and employers.
HSI said it has also distributed more than 1,000 CDL-related business leads to federal partners based on information involving businesses suspected of unsafe practices or exploitation within the transportation sector.
Field offices have issued more than 80 Notices of Inspection and opened multiple investigations.
Investigators have identified potential indicators involving:
- Fraudulent CDL issuance
- Unauthorized employment
- Identity-document fraud
- Shell companies
- Financial crimes
- Money laundering
- Labor exploitation
- Other transportation-sector violations
The broader HSI investigation also examines potential connections to human smuggling, drug trafficking and cartel activity.
FMCSA Removes More Than 110 CDL Training Providers
One of the most immediate actions announced by DOT involves the federal Training Provider Registry.
FMCSA reviewed roadside inspection records involving commercial drivers cited for failing English Language Proficiency requirements. Investigators then compared those records with the providers listed in the Training Provider Registry.
The review identified more than 110 Entry-Level Driver Training providers that FMCSA says repeatedly certified drivers who did not meet federal qualification standards.
Those providers are being emergency removed from the registry and must stop operating as registered training providers.
That means they cannot continue administering their registered training programs, using their facilities for that purpose or providing behind-the-wheel training under the registry.
The action affects providers connected to more than 5,000 drivers who failed English proficiency requirements.
Another 160-Plus Training Providers Face Proposed Removal
The federal investigation goes beyond the 110 emergency removals.
In July, FMCSA sent 175 investigators into 40 states to conduct nearly 400 investigations of Entry-Level Driver Training providers.
Investigators found multiple forms of alleged noncompliance.
Some training locations reportedly did not have enough space for required driving maneuvers. Other cases involved instructors who lacked the proper license.
Investigators also found providers without required assessment records.
In one particularly unusual case cited by FMCSA, a provider reportedly claimed that its classroom was located inside a school bus positioned at the back of a trailer.
Those investigations resulted in more than 160 notices of proposed removal from the Training Provider Registry.
FMCSA said drivers certified by those 160-plus providers are linked to 239 commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities.
That figure does not mean the agency has concluded those providers caused the deaths. Rather, it is the number of fatalities linked in the agency’s records to drivers certified by the providers under investigation.
Federal Government Targets CDL Testing Too
The crackdown is also moving beyond training schools and into the CDL testing system.
FMCSA is launching a nationwide audit of third-party CDL skills testers and state oversight of those testers.
Federal rules require CDL skills tests to be conducted in English. FMCSA says more than 28,000 drivers have been placed out of service for English Language Proficiency violations since June 2025.
The agency says that number points to possible compliance failures involving both third-party testers and state oversight.
States can face consequences if their CDL programs fail to meet federal requirements.
The process can begin with a formal finding of noncompliance. A state then has 30 days to establish a corrective action plan with FMCSA.
If significant problems remain unresolved, FMCSA can make a final determination of substantial noncompliance.
That can trigger the withholding of federal highway funds, beginning at up to 4% in the first year and rising to 8% for each subsequent year of noncompliance.
In serious cases, a state can also face decertification. A decertified state cannot issue, renew, transfer or upgrade commercial driver licenses.
DHS Investigation Targets More Than Driver Qualifications
The DHS operation is broader than checking whether a driver passed a test.
HSI says its national criminal investigation initiative is examining suspected fraud and criminal activity throughout the commercial trucking sector.
Investigative areas include CDL fraud, unauthorized employment, identity fraud, financial crimes, money laundering and labor exploitation.
Officials are also investigating potential connections between trucking-related businesses and larger criminal networks.
In one investigation, HSI is examining a trucking company suspected of using B1/B2 visa holders for domestic cargo transportation. According to the agency, three drivers have been arrested in that case and firearms were seized.
Another investigation involves suspected state motor vehicle employees allegedly accepting payments to help people bypass driver’s license and CDL requirements.
HSI is also investigating alleged medical certification fraud involving practitioners suspected of improperly certifying medical examinations required for CDL applicants.
Other investigations involve labor exploitation, visa fraud, financial crimes and alleged drug trafficking connected to CDL-related businesses.
ICE Is Also Expanding Enforcement Against CDL Holders
The enforcement campaign includes activity by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division.
Federal officials outlined several existing operations involving commercial transportation.
Operation ICE Wall targets trucking companies and drivers who have final removal orders, previous removals or reinstated removal orders.
Operation Guardrail focuses specifically on noncitizens who are unlawfully present and hold commercial driver licenses.
Operation Freightliner uses partnerships between ERO and participating state and local agencies to locate and identify noncitizens operating commercial vehicles in violation of the law.
The agencies are also coordinating field operations with state transportation officials and police departments.
DOT Says More Than 28,000 Drivers Have Been Removed From the Road
The latest announcement builds on a much larger enforcement campaign that DOT says has been underway for roughly a year and a half.
According to the department, it has:
- Removed more than 28,000 drivers from the road for English Language Proficiency violations
- Pressured states to cancel more than 30,000 licenses that DOT says were illegally issued to foreign drivers
- Removed more than 8,000 unqualified training schools from the FMCSA registry
The department has made English proficiency a major component of its trucking safety campaign.
FMCSA previously announced that drivers unable to sufficiently read or speak English or understand highway traffic signs and signals can be placed out of service.
Why the Crackdown Matters for American Drivers
For ordinary motorists, the most important question is what this means on the road.
Federal officials argue that the trucking system depends on a chain of safeguards: a driver must qualify, receive legitimate training, pass the required tests and meet employment and licensing requirements.
If fraud occurs at any point in that chain, regulators may not be dealing with only one unqualified driver. A fraudulent training provider, dishonest tester, corrupt official or shell company can potentially affect multiple commercial drivers.
That is why the new federal strategy is targeting the infrastructure around CDL issuance rather than concentrating exclusively on individual motorists.
The government is effectively trying to find the weak points in the system and close them.
What Happens Next?
The August 31 announcement does not represent the end of the campaign.
FMCSA’s nationwide audit of third-party skills testers is now expanding the investigation into state-level oversight.
DHS and HSI are continuing criminal investigations involving CDL businesses, employers and suspected fraud networks.
The Joint Task Force Crossroads of America also creates a structure for federal prosecutors and law enforcement agencies in multiple states to coordinate cases instead of treating trucking-related violations as isolated incidents.
For trucking companies, CDL schools and testing providers, the message from federal officials is clear: regulators are examining the entire chain surrounding commercial driver licensing.
For drivers and the public, the administration says the goal is straightforward—remove unqualified operators, expose fraudulent practices and make America’s highways safer.
The scale of Monday’s announcement, however, shows that federal authorities are treating suspected trucking fraud as a much broader enforcement problem involving transportation regulation, criminal investigations and immigration enforcement.
