A federal review from the U.S. Department of Transportation found that nearly 44% of the country's 16,000 listed truck driving programs could be forced to close for not complying with minimum training requirements.

The USDOT said on December 1 that it plans to remove the certification of roughly 3,000 commercial driver's license training programs from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's registry, for "failing to equip trainees with the Trump Administration's standards of readiness." Another 4,500 training providers were placed on notice for potential noncompliance as well.

“This administration is cracking down on every link in the illegal trucking chain," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. "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."

According to Duffy, training providers set to be removed from the FMCSA's registry were found to have falsified or manipulated training data, neglected to meet required curriculum standards or instructor qualifications, and failed to maintain and provide accurate, complete documentation during federal audits and investigations.

Schools that lose their certification will no longer be able to legitimately certify drivers, meaning that any certificates of completion issued to drivers moving forward will not satisfy requirements for a CDL application. In a December 2 release, Commercial Vehicle Training Association (CVTA) executive director Andrew Poliakoff praised the USDOT's move, calling it a "moment of vindication" for truck driver training schools.

"For years, CVTA has warned that ‘CDL mills’ undermine safety, exploit students, and erode trust in the commercial driving profession," he said, referring to schools that claim to pack months of required training into just a few days. "Robust oversight protects students, carriers, and the motoring public — and we encourage continued coordination between states and federal regulators to swiftly remove bad actors and ensure the integrity of the licensing system."