Federal agencies say the new Joint Task Force Crossroads of America will target fraudulent CDL training and testing, identity and document fraud, unauthorized employment and suspected criminal activity across the commercial trucking industry.
DETROIT (FNN) — The Justice, Transportation and Homeland Security departments have launched a sweeping federal initiative targeting alleged fraud and public-safety violations in the commercial trucking industry, including questionable driver training, commercial driver’s license testing, identity fraud and suspected criminal activity.
Eight U.S. attorneys joined federal transportation and homeland security officials Aug. 31 to announce Joint Task Force Crossroads of America, a multistate law enforcement partnership initially bringing together U.S. attorney’s offices in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio with federal, state and local agencies.
The initiative brings together DOJ, the Department of Transportation, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and other law enforcement agencies.
Among the most immediate actions, FMCSA announced the emergency removal of more than 110 commercial driver training providers associated with more than 5,000 drivers who failed federal English-language proficiency requirements. The agency is also proposing removal of more than 160 additional training providers and launching a nationwide audit of third-party CDL skills testers.
DHS, meanwhile, announced enforcement activity involving more than 200 driving schools and related businesses across 23 states.
Federal Government Targets CDL Fraud
Federal officials say the initiative is designed to identify fraudulent training and licensing practices while determining whether trucking companies, schools, testing operations or other businesses are circumventing federal requirements.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said DOJ will work with federal, state and local partners to investigate and prosecute alleged fraud affecting highway safety.
“The safety of American roadways affects everyone across the country,” Blanche said in the federal announcement.
Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said federal transportation regulators need law enforcement support to pursue suspected fraud involving training schools and other participants in the commercial licensing system.
The government’s announcement also included broader claims by administration officials concerning immigration enforcement and highway safety. Those statements represent the administration’s characterization of the problem; the specific enforcement actions announced by FMCSA focus on compliance with federal commercial-driver training, testing and qualification requirements.
110 CDL Training Providers Face Emergency Removal
FMCSA said it examined roadside inspection records involving commercial drivers cited for failing federal English-language proficiency requirements and compared those records with its Training Provider Registry.
That analysis identified training providers that repeatedly certified drivers who subsequently failed the federal requirement, according to the agency.
FMCSA said it will emergency-remove more than 110 Entry-Level Driver Training providers from its registry. The affected providers must cease federally recognized training operations, including classroom and behind-the-wheel instruction.
The government says those schools are associated with more than 5,000 drivers who failed English-language proficiency tests.
Removal from the federal registry is an administrative action and should not, by itself, be characterized as a criminal conviction or finding of criminal fraud.
40-State Investigation Finds Training Problems
The enforcement campaign extends beyond the 110 providers.
FMCSA said it deployed 175 investigators across 40 states in July to conduct nearly 400 investigations of entry-level driver training providers.
According to the agency, investigators identified problems including instructors who lacked appropriate licenses, inadequate facilities for required driving maneuvers and missing assessment records.
One provider allegedly claimed its classroom operated from a school bus located inside the back of a trailer, according to FMCSA.
The investigations resulted in more than 160 notices of proposed removal from the federal Training Provider Registry.
FMCSA further said drivers certified by those providers have been linked to 239 commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities.
That figure warrants careful distinction: the agency’s release describes the drivers as linked to those fatalities; it does not establish from that statistic alone that training deficiencies caused each crash.
Nationwide Audit of CDL Skills Testers
Federal regulators are also turning their attention to the people and organizations administering commercial driving tests.
FMCSA announced a nationwide audit of third-party CDL skills testers and state oversight of those testers.
The agency said more than 28,000 commercial drivers have been placed out of service for English-language proficiency violations since June 2025. FMCSA argues that the number raises concerns about whether testing and state oversight are consistently enforcing federal requirements.
States found substantially out of compliance with federal CDL requirements can face corrective action and, eventually, financial consequences.
According to FMCSA, unresolved substantial noncompliance can result in withholding of federal highway funds—up to 4% initially and potentially 8% in subsequent years. Serious deficiencies can also lead toward decertification of a state’s CDL program.
DHS Targets More Than 200 Driving Schools
DHS is conducting a parallel criminal-investigation and immigration-enforcement effort.
Homeland Security Investigations said its initiative is examining suspected CDL fraud, unauthorized employment, identity-document fraud, financial crimes, money laundering and labor exploitation, along with potential connections to human smuggling, drug trafficking and cartel activity.
Those categories describe investigative targets and potential violations identified by DHS; they do not mean every school, trucking company or driver contacted by investigators has committed a crime.
According to the federal announcement, HSI planned coordinated activity involving more than 200 driving schools across 23 states and said more than 1,000 business leads had been distributed to investigators.
Field offices had also issued more than 80 notices of inspection and opened multiple investigations, according to DHS.
Investigations Include DMV Employees, Medical Certifications and Trucking Companies
Federal authorities disclosed several categories of ongoing investigations.
HSI said investigators are examining allegations that some state motor vehicle employees accepted payments to help applicants circumvent driver’s license and CDL requirements.
Other investigations involve suspected misuse of B-1/B-2 visa holders for domestic cargo transportation, potentially improper medical certifications, identity fraud and alleged labor exploitation involving visa holders.
DHS also said investigators are examining possible shell companies, financial crimes and transportation businesses potentially connected to broader criminal activity.
Because many of these matters remain investigations, allegations of misconduct have not necessarily resulted in criminal charges or convictions.
Federal Trucking Enforcement Reaches Florida
The federal initiative also includes activity in Florida.
According to the government’s announcement, DHS’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Miami Field Office coordinated an operation with the Florida Department of Transportation, FMCSA and commercial vehicle enforcement authorities during the week of Aug. 24.
Other coordinated operations were identified in Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Michigan and Wisconsin.
DHS also identified several broader enforcement initiatives involving commercial transportation, including Operation ICE Wall, Operation Guardrail and Operation Freightliner.
What It Means for Trucking Companies and CDL Schools
The initiative significantly expands federal scrutiny beyond individual commercial drivers.
Training schools could face removal from FMCSA’s registry, while third-party testers will face a nationwide audit. State licensing agencies could also come under federal review if regulators identify systemic compliance failures.
Trucking companies may face additional scrutiny involving driver qualifications, employment authorization, federal employment records and compliance with commercial vehicle regulations.
At the same time, the government’s actions distinguish between administrative enforcement and criminal prosecution. A provider’s removal from a federal training registry does not automatically establish criminal fraud, while criminal cases require prosecutors to establish violations under applicable law.
Joint Task Force Brings Multiple Agencies Together
Joint Task Force Crossroads of America combines the U.S. attorney’s offices in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio with agencies including FMCSA, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Eight U.S. attorneys participated in the announcement, representing federal districts in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois.
Federal officials say the task force’s goals include reducing highway fatalities and serious injuries, identifying criminal networks, deterring fraudulent trucking practices and improving coordination among federal, state and local authorities.
What’s Next?
FMCSA is expected to proceed with the emergency removal of the identified training providers while continuing proposed-removal proceedings involving more than 160 others.
Federal transportation officials will also conduct the nationwide examination of third-party CDL skills testers and state oversight programs.
DHS and HSI investigations into suspected licensing fraud, unauthorized employment, document fraud and related financial crimes are continuing, while the newly established DOJ task force provides a mechanism for federal prosecutors and law enforcement agencies to coordinate potential criminal cases.
The next major question will be how many of the regulatory investigations ultimately produce administrative sanctions, license actions or federal criminal charges.
For drivers, trucking companies and CDL schools, the announcement signals that federal enforcement is expanding from roadside driver inspections into the broader system responsible for training, testing, licensing and employing commercial drivers.
Entertainment5 days ago
