FMCSA names CDL schools swept into nationwide emergency shutdown

Several providers appear in more than one category or state. American Trucking LLC, for example, is listed in Florida and online, while United CDL appears in Maryland and West Virginia. California Truck Driving School, KMT Logistics, OSSO Corp. and West Coast Truck School are listed in both California and Utah. Some names also appear in the online or inactive categories.

That structure helps explain why the reconstructed roster contains 111 entries even though Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy initially described the action as an emergency shutdown of 110 CDL schools and FMCSA’s formal announcement said more than 110 providers.

Texas and Pennsylvania had the most physical-location entries, with 13 apiece, followed by California with 11, Florida with 10 and Utah with nine. Those five states accounted for 56 of the 84 state-based entries, or two-thirds.

FMCSA said it identified the providers by comparing Training Provider Registry records with roadside inspection records for drivers cited for failing federal English-language proficiency requirements.

Each school selected for emergency removal had trained at least 10 drivers who were later cited for English proficiency violations, officials said. Collectively, the providers had certified more than 5,000 such drivers.

A list of the commercial trucking schools closed by the U.S. Department of Transportation on Aug. 31

Emergency removals are not proposed removals

The 111-entry roster should not be combined with a separate group of more than 160 providers that received notices of proposed removal.

Emergency removal takes effect immediately. Under FMCSA regulations, the agency may remove a provider from the registry without first issuing a proposed-removal notice when it determines the provider’s continued listing presents an imminent hazard or a substantial likelihood of death or serious injury. 

A provider may seek administrative review, but the emergency order remains effective unless stayed or reversed.

By contrast, a notice of proposed removal begins an administrative process. Providers in that category must notify current students and those scheduled for training about the notice, but the notice is not itself an immediate emergency shutdown. 

The provider may submit a corrective-action plan or request administrative review under the applicable TPR procedures.

FMCSA said the proposed-removal notices followed nearly 400 investigations conducted by 175 investigators across 40 states in July. The agency cited problems including instructors without the required licenses, ranges too small for required maneuvers, missing training and assessment records and questionable classroom facilities. 

Drivers certified by the 160-plus providers were linked to 239 commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities, according to FMCSA.

Large training networks reported among the proposed-removal group include 160 Driving Academy, Truck Driver Institute and Ancora. They are not part of the reconstructed 111-entry emergency-removal roster above unless a specific location also appears there under an independently issued emergency order.

The distinction matters for students and employers checking a school’s status. FMCSA maintains separate training provider registry pages for removed providers and providers under review, and those lists can change as proceedings are resolved.

Why it matters: The full roster clarifies which providers were ordered to immediately cease entry-level driver training operations and keeps them separate from 160-plus schools that only received proposed-removal notices.