DHS Announces Partnership with Department of Transportation to Crack Down on Fraud in CDL Schools

WASHINGTON - The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it would join the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) in its mission to crack down on fraudulent and illegal practices in commercial driver's license (CDL) schools.

Through this new partnership, DHS's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) will work with DOT's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to identify and address fraud regarding the issuance of non-domiciled commercial driver's licenses (CDLs) to illegal aliens. HSI and FMCSA, along with state and local partners, will focus on preserving the integrity of the CDL system, including maintaining high standards in CDL training and preventing fraud, in order to ensure that only qualified individuals operate commercial vehicles.

HSI agents investigating CDL schools

"Too many American lives have been lost in completely avoidable accidents because illegal aliens have been granted commercial driver's licenses to drive trucks and 18-wheelers on America's roadways," said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. "DHS law enforcement is partnering with the Department of Transportation to eliminate CDL fraud, strengthen the integrity of the CDL system, and investigate commercial driver's license schools throughout the country. This is a whole-of-government approach, to keep America's roads safe."

"USDOT has spent the last year rooting out bad actors from our trucking industry," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. "We've knocked over 24,000 drivers off our roads for failing to speak English, forced states to cancel over 28,000 licenses illegally issued to foreign drivers, and purged over 9,500 unqualified training schools from our FMCSA registry. DHS will be a force multiplier of our efforts to clean up America's roads. President Trump is using every lever at his disposal to ensure the safety of American families."

FMCSA has identified approximately 75 entry-level driving training schools suspected of fraudulent activities, including using improper driver certifications, falsifying training records, and failing to properly train drivers applying for CDLs, among other violations. DOT will engage HSI in its investigations of these schools.

This is part of the administration's ongoing efforts to root out fraud from American trucking and restore integrity to the industry.

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