Federal trucking regulators are expanding Operation Highway Shield enforcement efforts across the United States, with new inspections in Virginia uncovering 100 safety violations.
As of Nov. 4, the U.S. Department of Transportation reports that 33,000 commercial drivers have been placed out of service nationwide for failing English-language proficiency requirements.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Virginia Division partnered with Virginia State Police and the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles to conduct commercial vehicle inspections in Stephens City, Virginia.
The operation resulted in 86 Level I inspections, 100 violations, 11 vehicles placed out of service and two drivers placed out of service, including one for an English-language proficiency violation.
The Virginia enforcement results emerged as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Wednesday (Nov. 4) additional details about Operation Highway Shield’s latest crackdown in Arkansas, where federal and state authorities conducted 1,724 commercial vehicle inspections over 48 hours.
The Arkansas operation, conducted Oct. 27-29, resulted in 393 drivers and commercial vehicles being placed out of service, 183 English-language proficiency violations, 44 criminal arrests and 74 immigration violations referred for federal enforcement.
In a separate announcement Wednesday, Duffy characterized the Arkansas enforcement operation as another major step in the administration’s efforts to remove unqualified commercial drivers from U.S. highways.
“Gone are the days of dangerous–and many times illegal and foreign–drivers putting American lives at risk on our roads,” Duffy said in a statement. “This latest wave of Operation Highway Shield has pulled over 300 dangerous drivers off the road including 183 foreign drivers that couldn’t read road signs. We are not slowing down when it comes to keeping Americans safe on our roads.”
In addition to the driver and vehicle out-of-service orders, inspectors identified more than 1,000 motor carrier safety violations and recovered one stolen trailer.
According to DOT’s Nov. 4 announcement, federal authorities have:
- Placed 33,000 drivers out of service for failing English-language proficiency requirements.
- Revoked 31,000 commercial driver’s licenses that the department described as improperly issued to unvetted foreign drivers.
- Shut down nearly 10,000 commercial driving schools that federal officials characterized as operating improperly.
DOT also said that in August, FMCSA removed 110 commercial driver training schools associated with more than 5,000 drivers who failed English-language proficiency tests and placed another 160 schools on notice.
The department did not provide a detailed accounting of how the nationwide totals were calculated.
Operation Highway Shield has expanded through several enforcement waves during 2026.
The first wave, conducted in Florida in March, resulted in 176 drivers being placed out of service, including 54 for English-language proficiency deficiencies. Authorities also made 35 criminal-related arrests and detained 42 individuals for federal immigration violations.
A second wave, conducted July 28-30 in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Ohio, resulted in 766 drivers and vehicles being placed out of service, 36 English-language proficiency violations and 51 immigration detentions.
Federal authorities also recovered approximately $1 million in stolen cargo during the Midwest operation.
The Arkansas operation marked the third major wave announced by DOT, while the newly disclosed Virginia inspections demonstrate additional state-level enforcement activity.
Why it matters: Federal enforcement is extending beyond roadside inspections to include driver licensing, training schools and coordinated state-level safety operations.
