Nearly 10,000 CDL Schools Shut Down by FMCSA in the U.S.

As part of its ongoing effort to make U.S. roads safer, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has shut down 9,970 truck driver schools and CDL training centers across the country as part of an enforcement campaign aimed at eliminating providers that fail to comply with federal safety regulations.

The figure reflects an update made on October 5 and represents one of the agency’s most extensive actions against facilities that train commercial vehicle drivers. Currently, just over 31,000 locations remain registered as active training providers. Nearly 800 additional centers are under review.

FMCSA Enforces a Zero-Tolerance Policy

The FMCSA attributes the high number of closures to investigations and strict inspections conducted as part of the enforcement campaign, which is expected to last two years.

The agency’s administrator, Derek Barrs, has established a “zero-tolerance” policy toward providers that fail to comply with federal regulations, which are considered the minimum safety requirements for the industry, according to an FMCSA spokesperson quoted in a recent Transport Topics article. “Many schools have been closed as a result of our investigations,” the spokesperson said.

As part of the process, the FMCSA is notifying providers that operate at least one school and have not certified the completion of driver training during the past year.

The FMCSA’s crackdown is particularly targeting providers allegedly using practices designed to speed up the process of obtaining a commercial driver’s license (CDL) without ensuring that students receive the training necessary to safely operate commercial vehicles. Authorities are seeking to eliminate what they have called “CDL license mills,” as well as identify instructors and operators who fail to meet federal requirements.

According to information provided by the agency and Transport Topics, some operators allegedly took advantage of the self-certification system to falsely claim that they met federal safety requirements for entry-level driver training. With that certification, they could appear on the FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry, allowing them to operate as recognized driver-training centers.

The FMCSA also links the problem to the sharp growth in the number of training schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2020 and 2024, there was an increase in the number of new training centers, driven by strong demand for truck drivers. However, among the new providers were also, according to the FMCSA, “bad actors” who allegedly used the system to commit fraud or violate federal regulations.

Transport Topics reported that an agency webpage identifying training providers removed from the registry between 2025 and 2026 contains nearly 7,000 records, including provider names and locations, as well as the dates and reasons for their removal from the authorized registry. The reasons include both voluntary and involuntary removals.

More CDL Schools Could Be Shut Down

The FMCSA continues to review hundreds of providers while expanding investigations into compliance with federal regulations. The strategy is part of a broader federal government crackdown on fraud in the trucking industry and seeks to ensure that drivers who obtain a CDL have received the required training before taking to the nation’s roads.

In addition, the Department of Transportation recently received increased resources to combat illegal activities in the trucking industry after joining a White House task force focused on combating fraud and led by Vice President J.D. Vance.