Feds Launch Massive Crackdown On Commercial Trucking Fraud And Unqualified Drivers
Federal officials and prosecutors from four Midwestern states announced a multi-agency operation on Monday aimed at rooting out fraud in the commercial trucking industry, cracking down on unqualified foreign drivers, and shutting down illicit training schools.
The effort, titled Joint Task Force Crossroads of America, brings together the Department of Justice, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Homeland Security, and eight U.S. Attorneys covering districts in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. Federal leaders made the announcement alongside Marcus Coleman and his daughter Dalilah, who was critically injured in a 2024 collision involving an undocumented driver behind the wheel of a commercial truck.
Officials described the campaign as an aggressive initiative to target criminal networks, falsified licensing practices, and safety violations across the nation’s highways.
“The safety of American roadways affects everyone across the country,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Foreigners and illegal aliens have exploited America’s trucking industry, often putting unqualified, improperly trained, non-English speaking drivers on our highways. Some may be hauling drugs or weapons for international crimes networks. The drivers and companies that allow for this dangerous activity will no longer get a pass.”
According to federal data released during the briefing, the Department of Transportation has taken more than 28,000 commercial drivers off the road over the past 18 months for failing English language proficiency requirements. Regulators also directed states to revoke more than 30,000 commercial driver’s licenses improperly issued to foreign drivers and removed over 8,000 non-compliant training schools from the federal registry.
Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said law enforcement backing is critical to fixing systemic issues within the sector.
“USDOT has spent the last year-and-a-half strengthening the rules of the road and removing dangerous foreign drivers from our trucking industry,” Duffy said. “To fully root out the scourge of fraud, hold criminals accountable, and restore safety, we need the support of federal law enforcement.”
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin focused on commercial driver’s license issuance in jurisdictions with sanctuary policies.
“Thanks to the recklessness of sanctuary politicians, there is a growing and alarming trend of illegal aliens being granted commercial driver’s licenses. Many of them don’t speak English or understand the rules of the road, and yet they’re driving among us, endangering our loved ones,” Mullin said. “As a result, far too many Americans have lost their lives because an illegal alien was behind the wheel.”
Scott Brady, executive director of the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, said roadway safety is directly tied to regulatory enforcement.
“Here’s a basic concept: Americans have a right to feel safe on the roads their taxes pay for,” Brady said. “Unfortunately, the previous administration disagreed and turned a blind eye to criminal enterprises that allowed drivers who couldn’t pass a basic English test to obtain a commercial driver’s license.”
As part of Monday’s actions, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration ordered the emergency removal of 110 Entry-Level Driver Training providers from its registry. The agency took action after linking the schools to more than 5,000 drivers who failed federal English proficiency checks during roadside inspections. The providers were ordered to halt all classroom and behind-the-wheel instruction immediately.
The FMCSA also reported findings from recent investigations across 40 states involving nearly 400 driving schools. Inspectors uncovered instructors teaching without proper commercial licenses, driving ranges too small to perform standard maneuvers, missing student assessment files, and one facility that falsely claimed its classroom was located in a school bus inside a trailer. Regulators issued notices of proposed removal to more than 160 providers, whose certified drivers have been linked to 239 roadway fatalities.
Additionally, the agency launched an audit targeting third-party testing organizations and state-level oversight. Federal law requires skills testing to take place in English. If state driver licensing agencies fail to correct non-compliance within a mandatory 30-day window, states risk losing up to 4% of their federal highway funds in the first year and 8% in subsequent years, or facing full decertification of their commercial licensing authority.
On the criminal side, Homeland Security Investigations executed a coordinated sweep on Monday, serving notices of inspection to more than 200 commercial driving schools across 23 states.
“Criminals who exploit our nation’s transportation systems through fraud and deception are not only breaking the law–they are putting the safety and security of the American public at risk,” said John A. Condon, acting executive associate director of HSI.
Active federal investigations are looking into freight operations employing tourist visa holders for commercial transport, state motor vehicle department employees accused of accepting bribes to bypass CDL requirements, and medical clinics allegedly signing off on fraudulent physical exam records. Other ongoing probes involve labor exploitation, human smuggling, and an investigation into a freight carrier linked to the death of a state law enforcement officer.
Enforcement and Removal Operations also reported several field operations under the initiative, including weigh-station checkpoints in Illinois and Indiana, joint enforcement in Florida, and regional programs titled Operation ICE Wall, Operation Guardrail, and Operation Freightliner to identify and remove commercial drivers operating without legal status.
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