Federal Crackdown Closes 110 Trucking Schools, Including One in Kent

Key points

• The Department of Transportation and Homeland Security announced the emergency removal of 110 Entry-Level Driver Training providers and 23 online schools from the federal registry.
• Officials cited English language proficiency violations and potential links to money laundering, drug trafficking, and human smuggling as primary concerns.
• Fifth Wheel Commercial Driving School in Kent, Washington, was confirmed as one of the closed locations.
• The Department of Justice formed the Joint Task Force Crossroads of America to coordinate enforcement across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio.
• States facing noncompliance may face federal highway fund withholdings of up to 8% or decertification of their CDL programs.

Background

This action follows a year-and-a-half of federal efforts to tighten commercial driver licensing rules. Previous enforcement actions have already removed over 28,000 drivers for English proficiency failures and canceled 30,000 licenses. The current crackdown expands on earlier July initiatives that sent investigators to 40 states to audit training providers.

How outlets are covering it

The Department of Transportation and Homeland Security framed the closures as a safety measure to remove unqualified drivers and combat fraud. In contrast, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that some affected owners, such as Mark Washington of On Your Way CDL Training, were unaware of the shutdown until contacted by reporters and denied involvement in fraud. The government emphasized that the schools trained drivers who later failed roadside English tests, while the Journal Sentinel noted that the government did not allege the students were illegally present in the U.S. KOMO News highlighted the local impact in Washington, confirming the closure of the Kent-based school.

Why it matters

The crackdown signals a shift toward stricter federal oversight of commercial driver licensing, potentially affecting thousands of drivers and training programs nationwide. It also introduces financial penalties for states that fail to enforce federal standards, which could impact state budgets and driver licensing processes.

What to watch

The Department of Transportation will conduct a nationwide audit of third-party CDL skills testers. States that fail to comply with federal requirements may face corrective action plans and withholding of federal highway funds. The Joint Task Force Crossroads of America will continue coordinating enforcement efforts across multiple states.