Nearly half of the United States’ truck driving schools are at risk of closure after a sweeping federal review found widespread non-compliance with training and record-keeping rules. The U.S. Transportation Department said Monday it plans to revoke accreditation for almost 3,000 schools unless they correct deficiencies within 30 days, while another 4,500 schools have been warned they could face similar action.
The potential shutdowns could reshape the trucking industry, which relies on more than 3.5 million drivers nationwide. Schools that lose accreditation will no longer be allowed to issue the certificates required for commercial driver’s licenses, making it likely that students will abandon those programs altogether. Federal officials said the targeted schools failed to meet minimum training standards, falsified or manipulated training data, or failed to maintain proper records. A list of the affected schools has not yet been released.
At the same time, the Department of Homeland Security is conducting aggressive audits of California trucking companies owned by immigrants, checking whether their drivers are lawfully in the country and properly licensed. Officials say the enforcement surge is part of a broader effort to strengthen safety following a deadly Florida crash caused by a driver whom Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said was not authorized to be in the U.S. Duffy has warned states such as California and Pennsylvania that they could lose federal funding if licensing failures continue, though a court has temporarily blocked his proposed restrictions on which immigrants can obtain commercial licenses.
Industry leaders have long argued that lax standards and self-certification allowed poorly trained drivers onto the roads. Groups like the Nevada Trucking Association welcomed the crackdown, calling unqualified drivers a threat to public safety. But organizations representing immigrant and Sikh truckers say the enforcement has crossed into profiling, noting that lawful workers with clean records are being treated as suspects.
Sikh drivers make up a significant share of the industry — about 40% on the West Coast and roughly 20% nationwide — and advocacy groups say recent federal actions have caused widespread anxiety. United Sikhs said Punjabi-owned companies have reported aggressive audits and fear that legitimate workers are being targeted based on religion or immigration status rather than safety concerns.
California has already moved to revoke 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses after the federal government flagged irregularities in the way some licenses were issued or renewed. With thousands of schools and drivers now under scrutiny, the industry is bracing for significant disruption just as the U.S. continues to grapple with a long-standing driver shortage.