Critical Shifts:
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Multi-Agency Interagency Sweep: USDOT, DHS, and DOJ launched a nationwide crackdown on commercial trucking fraud, combining regulatory enforcement with criminal law enforcement.
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CDL Training & Testing Crackdown: FMCSA removed over 110 driver training providers linked to 239 fatalities, while DHS inspected over 200 schools across 23 states.
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New Federal Task Force: DOJ established Joint Task Force Crossroads of America to prosecute fraud, safety violations, and criminal activity across key multi-state transportation corridors.
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Federal transportation and law enforcement agencies have launched a multi-state effort targeting fraud and compliance violations within the commercial trucking industry.
The initiative, announced Sept. 1 by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice, combines transportation regulators with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to investigate fraudulent commercial driver licensing and training practices.
As part of the effort, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced the emergency removal of more than 110 Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) providers from its Training Provider Registry. The providers are required to immediately stop operating as certified training schools.
The action follows a nationwide investigation launched in July, when FMCSA deployed 175 investigators across 40 states to conduct nearly 400 investigations of ELDT providers. The agency said the investigations uncovered significant compliance violations and resulted in more than 160 notices of proposed removal from the registry.
According to FMCSA, drivers trained or certified by the providers under investigation have been linked to 239 commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities.
The federal government is also increasing scrutiny of third-party CDL skills testers and the states responsible for overseeing them. Commercial driver skills testing is required to be conducted in English, and FMCSA said more than 28,000 drivers have been placed out of service for English-language-proficiency violations since June 2025.
The agency said it can hold states accountable when third-party testers fail to meet federal requirements or when state oversight does not adequately enforce those standards.
The Department of Homeland Security is conducting its own enforcement activities, including a coordinated, single-day operation involving more than 200 CDL training schools across 23 states. Homeland Security Investigations and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are also continuing investigations involving CDL-related businesses and training schools.
The Department of Justice separately announced the formation of the Joint Task Force Crossroads of America, a multi-state partnership initially involving U.S. Attorney’s Offices and state and local authorities in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. Federal partners include USDOT, FMCSA, the FBI, DEA, HSI, ICE and ATF.
The task force will focus on highway safety, reducing fatalities and serious injuries, identifying illegal trucking practices and pursuing criminal activity associated with the commercial transportation industry.
The latest actions build on a broader FMCSA enforcement campaign that the agency says has resulted in more than 28,000 drivers being removed from the roads for English-language-proficiency violations, more than 30,000 improperly issued licenses being canceled and more than 8,000 training providers being removed from the FMCSA registry over the past year and a half.
Transportation officials said the latest initiative is intended to bring regulatory enforcement and criminal investigations together to address problems across the commercial driver licensing and training system.
