Duffy announces emergency shutdown of 110 driving schools over English proficiency rule

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Monday his department is shutting down 110-plus driving schools that gave licenses to drivers who failed English language proficiency (ELP) tests.

In a release , the Department of Transportation (DOT) said it is shutting down the schools after they issued driver’s licenses to more than 5,000 individuals who failed ELP exams.

The department is also launching a nationwide audit of third-party commercial driver’s license (CDL) skills testers and states’ oversight of those testers, the release noted.

To receive a CDL to operate large and heavy vehicles, drivers must display a “higher level of knowledge, experience, skills, and physical abilities than that required to drive a non-commercial vehicle,” according to the DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

President Trump signed an executive order in April 2025 requiring commercial truck drivers in the U.S. to be proficient in English. That same month, Duffy issued new guidance to rescind the Obama administration’s removal of ELP requirements for commercial vehicle drivers.

Earlier this month, Duffy said the FMCSA was moving to codify the ELP enforcement guidelines into a new rule. The FMCSA published a notice of the rule in the Federal Register on Aug. 10, thereby opening it up to public comment.

As part of a probe into the ELP of commercial drivers, the FMCSA reviewed roadside inspection records for commercial drivers who were cited for not meeting the language standards and compared those drivers with records in the Training Provider Registry.

By doing so, the motor safety agency identified training providers that “repeatedly certified drivers who did not meet federal qualification standards,” per Monday’s DOT release.

The FMCSA will now execute the emergency removal of the more than 110 providers from the registry, meaning they must “immediately cease all operations as a training provider, including administering curricula, utilizing facilities for instruction, and conducting behind-the-wheel training.”

As a result of its investigation, the FMCSA is also proposing to shut down 160-plus additional driving schools it accuses of not complying with the language requirement regulations.

Duffy said in the release his department “has spent the last year-and-a-half strengthening the rules of the road and removing dangerous foreign drivers” from the American trucking industry.

“I am so grateful for President Trump raising the alarm on this issue, and to Vice President Vance for leading the charge to crack down on fraud nationwide,” the Transportation secretary added. “From states failing to follow the law to shady training schools and illicit companies, together we will tackle every link in the chain.”

Duffy also told reporters Monday that migrants without legal status who don’t speak English “don’t deserve to be in a big rig driving on American roads endangering American citizens.”

The DOT was not alone in taking action Monday, as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said its investigations unit will carry out a synchronized sweep of 200-plus driving schools in 23 states.

The sweep is part of a DHS probe focusing on CDL fraud, unauthorized employment, identity document fraud, financial crime and other matters, the DOT release noted.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in the release his department is “delivering on our mission to protect Americans” by removing drivers who are not proficient in English from the roads.

Mullin added his department’s partnership with the DOT “will help root out CDL fraud” so migrants without legal status “are no longer able to obtain” commercial licenses.