Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy cited the removal of 11,500 drivers who failed to meet ELP standards as among his accomplishments. (Seth Wenig/Associated Press)
February 4, 2026 5:19 PM, EST
Key Takeaways:
- 11,500 drivers who failed to meet ELP standards have been removed.
- 7,500 CDL training schools have been shut down for failing to meet federal standards.
- $40 million in federal transportation funds has been revoked from California over compliance issues.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has closed 7,500 commercial driver training schools in a first year of enforcing federal laws governing trucking to increase road safety.
Recently, he listed significant actions directed toward the trucking industry among other key transportation achievements under “a year of decisive wins under President Donald J. Trump’s America First Agenda.”
Three top trucking-related accomplishments made his total list of accomplishments:
- Removing over 11,500 drivers who failed to meet English-language proficiency standards.
- Shutting down 7,500 CDL training schools that failed to meet readiness standards — up from 3,000 school providers removed by December from a federal Training Provider Registry.
- Enforcing ELP compliance in 49 states (excluding California).
DOT stated on Jan. 21, “After numerous deadly — and avoidable — accidents on America’s roads caused by dangerous and unqualified truck drivers, Secretary Duffy cracked down on the trucking industry, on unqualified commercial drivers, and on states like California that refuse to put safety first.”
Duffy has repeatedly criticized California for failing to enforce ELP laws and permanently revoked $40 million in federal transportation funds amid a battle over rule compliance issues. California Highway Patrol told Transport Topics in December it passed a state regulation to the federal ELP mandate.
USDOT is putting safety first!
Speaking and understanding the English language while operating big rigs on American roads is essential in keeping the public safe. 🇺🇸 https://t.co/Tji9W8Vtxa
— U.S. Department of Transportation (@USDOT) January 14, 2026
‘Illegal and Reckless Practices’
Duffy has vowed that DOT under the Trump administration “is cracking down on every link in the illegal trucking chain” and using available federal tools to thwart “illegal and reckless practices that let poorly trained drivers get behind the wheel of semi-trucks and school buses.”
FMCSA disclosed Dec. 1 it found widespread noncompliance with entry-level driver training requirements after reviewing 16,000 CDL training providers listed nationwide.
“The trucking industry has operated like the Wild, Wild West for far too long which is why I purged NEARLY HALF of trucking schools from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s list of approved schools because they failed to meet our high standards of safety,” Duffy noted in a Dec. 2 social media post. “We also placed over 7,000 drivers who failed to meet our English proficiency standards out of service because if you can’t speak English, you need to get off American roads! We’re not afraid to take EVERY MEASURE to protect the American people.”
Messages to fully comply with federal regulations or face the consequences — fines, withheld government grants and disqualified federal approval to operate — have echoed repeatedly in announcements from DOT since Duffy was sworn in Jan. 28, 2025, as the 20th transportation secretary. His first public act was signing a memorandum to initiate resetting Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards to make car prices more affordable and eliminate a past federal electric vehicle mandate.
A few months into his role, Duffy expanded his focus on trucking. Last April, Duffy announced a forthcoming revival of an ELP regulation in what would become a series of regulatory moves to rid the trucking industry of unqualified drivers.
In May, Duffy mandated non-English-proficient truckers be ordered off roads while also pledging federal scrutiny on verification of U.S. and foreign commercial driver licenses. States were given a June 25 deadline to comply with the mandate.
Since then, thousands of state lawmakers, motor vehicle department heads, commercial vehicle trainers, makers of electronic logging devices, roadside inspectors, highway patrol officers and truckers across the nation have been experiencing the heavy regulatory hand wielded by Duffy and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration chief Derek Barrs.
Illegally Issued CDLs
Other FMCSA regulatory actions to remove unqualified holders of CDLs and commercial learner’s permits include:
• Auditing state agencies to review their policies, practices and CDLs issued
• Ordering states to revoke thousands of illegally issued regular and non-domiciled CDLs and permits, while pausing their ability to resume issuing these driving credentials until approved by FMCSA as meeting federal regulations
Today @SecDuffy and @FMCSA address findings of the New York’s CDL audit and how the Department is working to make American roads safe again!
Tune in @ 10:30 AM 🕥 https://t.co/EtzDCmtXJ9
— U.S. Department of Transportation (@USDOT) December 12, 2025
Noncompliant ELDs
FMCSA also is tackling the use of noncompliant electronic logging devices. The agency announced Dec. 1 a “complete overhaul” of the certification process for ELDs, introducing a tougher, multistep approval process to clamp down on those alleged to abuse the long-standing self-certification process.
Among its efforts, FMCSA on Jan. 13 removed four previously approved ELDs from its registered list.
“If an ELD isn’t meeting federal requirements, it’s taken out of service — plain and simple. We’ll keep making clear, fair decisions that put safety first and support everyone who shares America’s roadways,” Barrs stated.
Once an ELD is removed, drivers immediately must switch to paper logs, while motor carriers have a 60-day replacement deadline.
FMCSA said the legacy self-certification process fostered registration of noncompliant devices or re-registration of devices that had been revoked, resulting in repeated revocations and costly, inconvenient replacements for carriers.
Since December 2017, federal law has required most commercial truck drivers to track their hours of service with ELDs. As of February 2016, ELD suppliers were permitted to self-certify and register their devices with FMCSA.
“American families deserve to feel safe sharing a road with semi-trucks, and we want truck drivers to have the best tools to maximize those safety precautions,” Barrs noted when announcing the crackdown.
