Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced a major enforcement action that removed thousands of truck drivers for failing to meet English-language expectations, tied to a federal review of commercial licensing and training practices; the administration says the move protects road safety and has put driving schools on notice to meet federal standards.
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy revealed that the department has taken significant action against commercial drivers who could not demonstrate sufficient English proficiency. He framed the effort as part of a broader push to secure the nation’s roadways after a spate of deadly crashes and concerns about licensing practices.
According to Duffy, “We’ve now knocked 9,500 truck drivers out of service for failing to speak our national language — English,” and he emphasized the administration’s priority, saying, “This administration will always put you and your family’s safety first.” Those figures came as the department followed up on a nationwide audit of how states issue non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses.
The audit looked at whether unqualified individuals were obtaining licenses and potentially creating hazards on highways. The department stated it was examining the possibility that previous policies had allowed the exploitation of the trucking licensing system, raising safety concerns for other drivers and communities.
Officials described a two-part approach: removing drivers who failed to meet testing standards and tightening oversight of the schools that train new commercial drivers. The administration warned driving schools they must follow federal training requirements or face closure, a move officials said is designed to end lax enrollment and training practices that produced insufficiently prepared operators.
“Huge Alert: US Department of Transportation is giving thousands of trucking schools 30 days to comply with federal rules for drivers, or they may be forced to close down,” one statement read, and the department painted the changes as a return to stricter standards after a period it characterized as permissive. The message to the industry was blunt: compliance is not optional if operators expect to continue training drivers.
Duffy connected the audit and enforcement to broader border and immigration concerns, saying the prior administration’s policies “allowed millions to flood our country – leading to serious allegations that the trucking licensing system is being exploited.” That remark was offered in the context of the audit announcement and signals why officials prioritized non-domiciled licensing practices.
The department cited dangerous outcomes tied to poorly trained drivers behind heavy commercial vehicles, including semi-trucks and school buses. Officials stress that allowing inadequately qualified individuals to operate large vehicles creates real, preventable risks for families, children, and other motorists sharing the road.
In addition to removing nearly 10,000 drivers from service, the administration highlighted coordination with other agencies to enforce standards and to investigate training programs that may have been issuing credentials without sufficient oversight. Those enforcement actions were described as both corrective and preventive, aimed at stopping unsafe practices from continuing.
Officials used strong language to describe the prior state of the industry, saying it resembled a “Wild Wild West” where inadequate oversight let dangerous practices persist. The administration stated its intent to change that dynamic by holding schools and licensing bodies accountable to uniform federal rules and testing standards.
Supporters of the enforcement argue that language proficiency is essential for safe operation of large vehicles, especially when drivers must understand road signs, emergency instructions, and communication with first responders. Critics, however, have raised concerns about how audits are conducted and whether the thresholds for language proficiency are applied fairly and consistently.
The department’s actions triggered media coverage and reaction across the industry, with new policies prompting some schools to review curricula and compliance procedures. Agency leaders insist the goal is simple: safer roads by ensuring every commercial driver meets clear, verifiable standards before returning to or entering service.
The administration also pointed to recent high-profile crashes as motivation for the crackdown, arguing that those tragedies exposed systemic weaknesses in how commercial driving qualifications were awarded. Officials say the combined audit and enforcement response is meant to prevent further loss of life and to restore public confidence in highway safety oversight.
As the DOT moves forward, the industry will watch how enforcement plays out and whether the tightened rules produce measurable improvements in safety. Policymakers and regulators have signaled they will continue scrutiny of both licensing practices and the pipeline that funnels drivers into the commercial trucking workforce.
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