Wow, this should be interesting! New article by Zerohedge:
More Than 550 Commercial Driving Schools To Close After Checks
Here is a rundown:
More Than 550 Commercial Driving Schools Face Closure After DOT Safety Crackdown
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), under the Trump administration, announced on February 18, 2026, that more than 550 commercial driving schools nationwide will be removed from the national training provider registry due to widespread safety violations uncovered in recent investigations. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) conducted over 1,400 on-site checks with 300+ investigators, targeting schools training truckers and bus drivers, as part of a broader effort to tighten standards and improve road safety in the trucking industry.
- Breakdown of actions: 448 schools received notices of proposed removal for failing basic safety standards; 109 schools voluntarily withdrew; 97 remain under investigation.
- Key violations found: Employing unqualified instructors without proper licenses; using fraudulent addresses; inadequate training (e.g., for hazardous materials); mismatched or wrong vehicles for training; incomplete student testing; and non-compliance with state requirements.
- Impacts: Affects CDL training for commercial drivers (including one school that trained school bus operators); part of larger crackdown, including removal of over 9,500 truckers for English proficiency failures and new rules for non-citizen drivers.
- Official statements: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called the industry a “Wild, Wild West” and vowed to crack down on “lawlessness”; FMCSA Administrator Derek D. Barrs emphasized that unqualified schools have “no business training the next generation of truckers or school bus drivers.”
- Context: Follows a nationwide audit last year highlighting limited federal oversight and inconsistencies in state standards; reported widely by AP, PBS, US News, and others as a major safety enforcement move.
This administration is not messing around when it comes to trucking! They’re at least putting out the image that they’re cleaning things up, and might actually do so!