Michigan regulators have suspended a commercial truck driving school in Marquette after an investigation uncovered multiple alleged violations involving student permits, training documents and required records.
The Michigan Department of State said it issued a summary suspension to Northern Michigan University Truck Driving School on Aug. 5 following an initial investigation by the agency’s Driver Education Unit.
Among the most significant allegations, regulators said the school provided behind-the-wheel instruction to students without first verifying that they possessed valid commercial learner’s permits.
The action comes amid heightened state and federal scrutiny of commercial driver training programs and concerns about whether schools are properly preparing and certifying drivers before they obtain commercial driver’s licenses.
Michigan regulators said their investigation found Northern Michigan University’s truck driving program failed to maintain records required by law and failed to maintain required student financial records.
The school also allegedly did not use required written agreements with students before instruction began, kept records somewhere other than its established office and allowed students to sign blank instructional documents that were subsequently completed.
The alleged violations fall under Michigan’s Driver Education Provider and Instructor Act, which governs driver education providers and instructors in the state.
The investigation remains ongoing, according to the Michigan Department of State. The school is prohibited from holding classroom or range instruction while the suspension remains in effect.
Michigan’s action comes less than a month after the Trump administration announced an expanded federal crackdown on suspected fraud involving CDL training schools.
On July 16, the U.S. departments of Transportation and Homeland Security announced a joint operation targeting fraudulent and illegal practices at commercial driver training programs.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said it had identified approximately 75 entry-level driver training schools suspected of fraudulent activity, including improper driver certifications, falsified training records and failures to properly train CDL applicants.
Why it matters: The Michigan case comes weeks after the Trump administration announced that FMCSA and Homeland Security Investigations were targeting dozens of CDL schools suspected of fraud.
