USDOT says 7,500 CDL training schools shut down in 2025
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) highlighted results achieved during a year of increased scrutiny and enforcement of the trucking industry and commercial driver’s license (CDL) driver standards, including the closure of thousands of truck driver training schools.
In a January 21, 2025 statement celebrating “a year of decisive wins” for USDOT in 2025, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy provided insight into his efforts to tighten CDL standards, curb fraud, and increase safety within the trucking industry.
“After numerous deadly—and avoidable—accidents on America’s roads caused by dangerous and unqualified truck drivers, Secretary Duffy cracked down on the trucking industry, on unqualified commercial drivers, and on states like California that refuse to put safety first,” USDOT said.
Thousands of CDL Drivers And Training Schools Sidelined By USDOT
USDOT shared the following results from various compliance and enforcement efforts conducted last year:
- Removed over 11,500 drivers failing to meet English proficiency standards
- Shut down 7,500 CDL training schools that failed to meet Trump Administration’s readiness standards
- Secured English proficiency compliance across 49 states
In early December 2025, USDOT announced that nearly 3,000 CDL training providers were removed from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Training Provider Registry (TPR) for “failing to equip trainees with the Trump Administration’s standards of readiness,” and that an additional 4,000 CDL training providers were issued warnings for potential non-compliance.
USDOT said that CDL training providers were removed from the TPR for:
- Falsifying or manipulating training data
- Neglecting to meet required curriculum standards, facility conditions, or instructor qualifications
- Failing to maintain accurate, complete documentation or refusing to provide records during federal audits or investigations
USDOT Vows To Rein In Bad Actors In Trucking
“This administration is cracking down on every link in the illegal trucking chain. Under Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg, bad actors were able to game the system and let unqualified drivers flood our roadways. Their negligence endangered every family on America’s roadways, and it ends today,” said Duffy said in December. “Under President Trump, we are reigning in illegal and reckless practices that let poorly trained drivers get behind the wheel of semi-trucks and school buses.”