U.S. Officials Unite to Combat Trucking Industry Fraud

The Joint Task Force Crossroads of America will coordinate federal, state, and local agencies to target criminal networks that issue commercial driver's licenses to unqualified drivers, including those who do not speak English. The task force was announced Monday by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy, alongside other federal officials and families of crash victims.

As part of the crackdown, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has removed more than 110 entry-level driver training providers from its registry, effective immediately. The agency also has 400 investigations underway into other training schools, following a July sweep in which 175 investigators visited schools in 40 states.

The investigations uncovered cases where providers certified drivers who lacked English proficiency, used fraudulent documents, or failed to meet federal training standards. Drivers certified by the 160 providers that received removal notices were linked to 239 fatal commercial motor vehicle crashes.

Over the past 18 months, the Department of Transportation has removed 28,000 drivers from the road for failing English language requirements, forced states to cancel 30,000 licenses issued to foreign drivers who did not meet standards, and purged 8,000 training schools from its registry.

The task force will also address identity document fraud, money laundering, and potential ties to human smuggling and drug trafficking. Homeland Security Investigations is leading the criminal investigation initiative, working with U.S. attorneys' offices and the transportation department.