The U.S. government announced on Monday an unprecedented interagency offensive against fraud in the trucking industry.
The Trump administration issued a state of emergency closure of 110 commercial driver training schools, established a multi-state federal task force, and conducted simultaneous operations in 23 states.
The announcement was made jointly in a statement by Todd Blanche, Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, and eight federal prosecutors from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio.
The new federal working group
The central focus of the operation is the creation of the Joint Task Force Crossroads of America, a permanent structure for criminal prosecution that brings together the federal prosecutors from four states with the FBI, DEA, HSI, ICE, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
"Road safety in the United States affects everyone in the country," Blanche stated.
“Foreigners and illegal immigrants have exploited the transportation industry in the U.S., putting unqualified drivers, lacking proper training and who do not speak English, on our roads. Some may be transporting drugs or weapons for international criminal networks. The drivers and companies that permit this dangerous activity will no longer go unpunished,” he added.
Closure of schools and national audits
The Department of Transportation ordered the emergency removal of 110 commercial driver's license (CDL) training schools from the federal registry due to their connection with over 5,000 drivers who failed the English proficiency tests.
"Today we are announcing the emergency executive closure of 110 driving schools. These are schools that have accumulated 5,000 violations related to English proficiency," Duffy stated.
Additionally, the USDOT proposed the removal of over 160 additional schools and launched a national audit of external CDL skills examiners.
The Department of Homeland Security carried out a simultaneous operation in more than 200 schools in 23 states, serving inspection notifications to businesses, carriers, and employers.
Duffy was emphatic: “One must speak English to operate a commercial motor vehicle. This rule has been in place for decades, and we have schools that are aware of the regulation yet still allow individuals who do not speak English to complete their training and obtain their license.”
A campaign that has been ongoing for over a year
The offensive is the culmination of an escalation that began with the executive order on English for truck drivers, effective since June 25, 2025, which allows for the immediate removal from service of any driver who does not pass a language test.
Since then, the USDOT has removed more than 28,000 drivers from the roads, according to figures from Duffy himself.
In July 2026, DHS and DOT had already announced an investigation into 75 CDL schools suspected of fraud.
Weeks later, Operation Highway Shield in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Ohio removed over 800 drivers, arrested 51 undocumented immigrants, and recovered nearly one million dollars in stolen cargo.
On August 6, ICE arrested in Florida the Cuban truck driver José Carlos Valdivia-Vera, who was operating with an expired CDL license and had a final order of deportation.
The case that put a face to the campaign
At the event on Monday, Marcus Coleman and his daughter Dalilah attended, who suffered traumatic brain injuries and permanent disabilities following an accident in 2024 in California, in which the truck driver was an undocumented Indian citizen.
Scott Brady, executive director of the White House Task Force on Fraud Elimination —established by Trump in March 2026— pointed to the previous administration.
"The previous administration turned a blind eye to criminal enterprises that allowed drivers who could not pass a basic English test to obtain a commercial driver's license. That ends today," he said.
The community of Cuban truckers in the United States is among those potentially affected by the new language requirements and immigration operations, particularly in Florida, where many Cubans work in the trucking industry.
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