Feds close trucking schools in alleged fraud crackdown

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin spoke in Detroit on Monday, joined by other federal officials and U.S. attorneys from several Midwest districts.

The press conference followed the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s review of roadside inspection records for commercial drivers cited for not meeting English Language Proficiency requirements.

The agency said it compared those drivers with records in the Training Provider Registry to identify training providers that repeatedly certified drivers who did not meet federal qualification standards.

“A lot of the licenses unlawfully issued come from California, New York, a lot from Illinois,” Duffy said.

Duffy said many of the violations happen in the Midwest.

The Illinois Secretary of State’s office did not immediately respond to The Center Square’s request for comment.

DHS officials said a synchronized single-day sweep targeted more than 200 training schools across 23 states.

Mullin said those who support sanctuary jurisdictions are supporting illegal activity that bleeds into other states.

“Regardless if you’re in a sanctuary city or sanctuary state, that doesn’t keep you from having to answer to the law,” Mullin said.

In addition, the Department of Justice announced the new Joint Task Force Crossroads of America “to safeguard the nation’s highway system and strengthen the security of our borders.”

The task force includes U.S. attorneys from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.

Jerome Gorgon, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, said many foreign nationals and illegal aliens lack the proper training to safely drive 40 tons of truck and cargo across America.

“These drivers squeeze American truckers out of the marketplace with low wage rates,” Gorgon said.

Gorgon said many illegal drivers haul drugs and guns on behalf of international crime syndicates.

According to Duffy, fraudulent operators not only drove wages down but also caused insurance costs to rise.

“With all the bad actors, insurance is one of the biggest complaints I hear, because all of the bad drivers on the road creating crashes and accidents are driving rates up,” Duffy said.

Liability insurance premium costs increased 18.6% in the commercial trucking industry from 2021 to 2024, according to the American Transportation Research Institute.

Duffy said removing illegal truck drivers will not cause a shortage.

“I have multiple generations of small trucking driving companies that might have 20, 30 rigs, they’re going out of business, because they can’t compete with the fraudster,” Duffy said.

Greg Bishop contributed to this story