ICE launches tip line to report CDL fraud as crackdown widens

The tip line comes shortly after federal transportation and law enforcement officials announced the emergency removal of more than 110 commercial driver training schools from a federal registry and proposed removing more than 160 additional schools.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the 110 schools accounted for 5,000 English-language proficiency violations. The broader initiative also includes a nationwide audit of third-party CDL skills testers and an HSI enforcement operation targeting more than 200 driving schools across 23 states.

Federal officials have increasingly linked CDL licensing and training investigations to potential criminal activity beyond regulatory violations.

Related: DOT shuts down 110 truck driving schools in CDL fraud crackdown

HSI said it had received more than 1,000 leads involving CDL-related businesses suspected of unsafe practices or transportation-sector exploitation. Investigators are examining potential CDL fraud, unauthorized employment, identity-document fraud, money laundering and labor exploitation, as well as possible connections to human smuggling, drug trafficking and cartel activity.

Federal investigators had already issued more than 80 notices of inspection and opened multiple investigations involving suspected fraudulent CDL issuance, unauthorized employment, identity fraud and shell companies, according to DOT.

The latest initiative also brings ICE and HSI more directly into DOT’s enforcement effort. Federal officials announced the creation of the Joint Task Force Crossroads of America in August, bringing together all nine U.S. attorneys offices in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.

The government has also cited English-language proficiency enforcement as evidence of problems with the commercial driver training and testing system.

DOT said more than 28,000 commercial drivers have been placed out of service for English-language proficiency violations since June 2025, which the agency said points to failures among third-party testers and state oversight programs.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association previously praised the federal crackdown, arguing that stronger oversight of CDL training and English-language proficiency requirements would improve highway safety.

“OOIDA and professional truck drivers across America commend Secretary Duffy and Administrator Barrs for taking concrete actions to crack down on fraudulent training operations and restore rigorous English language proficiency enforcement,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer said in a statement to FreightWaves.

Why it matters: Opening a public tip line gives federal investigators another source of leads as the government expands its CDL crackdown from individual drivers to the schools, testers and businesses involved in training, licensing and employing commercial drivers.