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DOT Purges 3,000 Trucking Schools, Sets 30-Day Deadline as Minnesota Faces Funding Threat

Findings of widespread noncompliance, including improper non‑domiciled licenses, are driving a national enforcement push with potential license revocations.

FILE - A student truck driver makes flash cards for his commercial driver's license exam while taking a class in Calif., Nov. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
FILE - Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks to the media alongside President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Sean O'Brien, President and CEO of Airlines for America Chris Sununu, Vice President JD Vance and aviation industry representatives about the impact of the government shutdown on the aviation industry outside of the West Wing of the White House, Oct. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
FILE - Harjinder Singh is escorted onto an airplane by Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and law enforcement on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, in Stockton, Calif. (AP Photo/Benjamin Fanjoy, file)
FILE - A student driver gets on a truck as the instructor watches in Calif., Nov. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

Overview

  • The Transportation Department removed about 3,000 CDL training providers from the federal registry and put roughly 4,000–4,500 more on notice, giving targeted schools 30 days to prove compliance.
  • Federal officials cited falsified or manipulated training data, failure to meet curriculum and instructor standards, and poor record‑keeping as the primary reasons for removals and warnings.
  • An FMCSA audit found Minnesota issued non‑domiciled CDLs that outlasted lawful presence or lacked proper status checks, prompting a 30‑day ultimatum and a threat to withhold up to $30.4 million in highway funds.
  • Homeland Security is auditing immigrant‑owned California trucking firms over driver eligibility, and California previously moved to revoke about 17,000 CDLs flagged as improperly issued.
  • Courts have paused parts of new federal limits on noncitizen licensing, industry groups back stricter training enforcement, and immigrant advocacy groups report heightened scrutiny driving some workers from the field.