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Federal transportation, homeland security and Justice Department officials have announced a coordinated enforcement campaign aimed at fraud and safety violations within the commercial trucking industry.
The initiative, unveiled August 31, centers on the newly established Joint Task Force Crossroads of America, which brings together federal, state and local authorities across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. Officials say the effort will pursue fraudulent commercial driver’s license (CDL) practices, criminal networks and other activities they contend threaten highway safety.
The Department of Homeland Security said Homeland Security Investigations will conduct a coordinated operation involving more than 200 driver-training schools in 23 states. Investigators are examining potential CDL fraud, identity-document violations, unauthorized employment, financial crimes, labor exploitation and possible connections to drug trafficking and human smuggling.
The Department of Transportation is taking separate action against training providers and testing systems. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration plans to remove more than 110 training providers from its registry. The schools are associated with more than 5,000 drivers who failed federal English-language proficiency requirements.
Federal investigators also examined nearly 400 training providers in 40 states and identified problems ranging from inadequate training facilities and improperly licensed instructors to missing records and questionable classroom arrangements. More than 160 providers received notices proposing removal, with drivers trained by those schools linked to 239 commercial vehicle fatalities, according to the agencies.
FMCSA will additionally conduct a nationwide review of third-party CDL skills testers and state oversight. The agency said persistent English-proficiency violations have raised concerns about whether testing requirements are being properly enforced.
The broader task force combines prosecutors and law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, DEA, HSI, ICE and ATF, with the stated goals of improving roadway safety, reducing fatalities and disrupting illegal trucking operations.
The image is an illustration created with AI for general context.
Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security
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