Citing California as a problem state, Trump administration shuts down 110 trucking schools
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administration → cite → schools
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- The administration ordered 110 commercial trucking schools to shut down, citing widespread failures on English language proficiency tests.
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administration → click → tests
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office called the move a ‘cynical political stunt’ not based on facts.
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office → call → facts
‘A lot of the licenses unlawfully issued come from California, New York, a lot from Illinois,’ Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
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Duffy → issue → Illinois
WASHINGTON — Trump administration officials announced that they had invoked executive authority to shut down 110 commercial driving schools that they said are connected to more than 5,000 truck drivers who failed English language proficiency tests.
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who → announce → tests
During a news conference Monday in Detroit, leaders of the departments of Transportation and Homeland Security singled out California as the biggest problem state.
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leaders → single → state
The federal officials were joined by Marcus Coleman and his 7-year-old daughter Dalilah, who in 2024 was critically injured when the driver of an 18-wheeler — an immigrant from India — crashed into their vehicle in the Mojave Desert.
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driver → join → Desert
“By far, the worst abusers are in California under [Gov.] Gavin Newsom’s leadership,” said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
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Mullin → say → leadership
“A lot of the licenses unlawfully issued come from California, New York, a lot from Illinois,” added Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
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Duffy → issue → Transportation
“We see a lot of the violations when trucks are pulled over in the Midwest because they travel through the Midwest, and so though a license might be issued unlawfully in California, that driver doesn’t stay in California.
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driver → see → California
The emergency school closures were part of a federal partnership to crack down on fraud and illegal practices in the commercial trucking industry.
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closures → crack → industry
Mullin and Duffy did not say how many of the closures are in California.
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many → say → California
Federal officials are also launching a nationwide audit of third-party testers who are authorized by states to verify commercial driver’s license applicants’ skills.
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who → launch → skills
Homeland Security investigators, meanwhile, were conducting a coordinated sweep Monday of more than 200 training schools in 23 states.
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investigators → conduct → states
Investigators with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration have also issued notices seeking to shut down another 160 training schools where they said they found unlicensed instructors, missing documentation and inadequate space for drivers to learn necessary maneuvers.
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drivers → issue → maneuvers
Federal officials said that drivers certified by those schools were linked to 239 commercial motor vehicle-related deaths.
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drivers → say → deaths
The Trump administration has revoked the commercial licenses of more than 28,000 drivers over English language proficiency failures since June 2025.
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administration → revoke → June
On Monday, Derek Barrs, administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, cited Platinum Plus Truck Driving School in Fresno, which certified 36 drivers who were later cited for English language proficiency violations.
“One of these trainees killed someone in Oklahoma that should have never been on the roadway,” he said.
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he → cite → roadway
At another school in California, Barrs said, operators said their classroom was the back end of an open semi-trailer, and their primary instructor was out of the country.
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instructor → say → country
Founded in 2025, Humble Robotics is building self-driving freight trucks with no steering wheel, driver’s seat or gas pedal.
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Robotics → found → wheel
The Transportation Department said that, of the 110 trucker schools, 11 are in California, 10 in Florida, 13 in Pennsylvania and 13 in Texas, with smaller numbers in different states and others online.
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11 → say → states
An agency spokesperson said those providers were immediately stopped from being able to certify their students’ training.
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providers → say → training
A driver must have certified completion of training before they can receive a commercial driver’s license.
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they → certify → license
Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a spokesperson in Newsom’s office, said California has strong safeguards for commercial drivers.
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California → say → drivers
“We welcome efforts to crack down on fraud and hold bad actors accountable,” she wrote in a statement, “but today’s announcement by Road Rules Duffy is just a cynical political stunt — it’s not based on the facts, due process or clear safety standards.
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it → welcome → facts
According to the federal government’s own data, drivers holding a CDL issued by California are involved in fatal crashes at a rate 42% below the national average.”
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drivers → accord → average
The announcements follow a longstanding effort by the Trump administration to target immigrant commercial truck drivers — especially those from California.
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announcements → follow → California
Soon after returning to the White House, President Trump signed an executive order requiring commercial truck drivers to prove they are proficient in English.
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they → return → English
In early August, the Motor Carrier Safety Administration moved to codify those language requirements through the federal rulemaking process.
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Administration → move → process
Deadly accidents in Florida and San Bernardino County last year brought scrutiny to Sikh Punjabi truck drivers, who make up an estimated 20% of the U.S. trucking workforce.
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who → bring → workforce
New federal guidelines this year began limiting commercial driver’s licenses to certain visa holders and requiring states to verify an applicant’s immigration status through a federal portal.
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guidelines → begin → portal
Federal officials also ordered California’s Department of Motor Vehicles to cancel about 13,000 licenses due to a clerical error that allowed them to remain valid past a work permit’s expiration date.
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them → order → date
The federal government withheld $160 million in transportation funding after California delayed revoking the licenses.
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California → withhold → licenses
Most states have allowed immigrants who have legal work authorization — including visa holders, asylum seekers and recipients of Temporary Protected Status — to drive commercial vehicles.
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who → allow → vehicles
Critics of the rule say the Trump administration hasn’t provided data to back up its claims that foreign commercial drivers pose a particular safety threat.
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drivers → say → threat
In 2024, about 5,200 large trucks were involved in fatal crashes, a 3% decrease from 2023 but a 30% increase in the last 10 years, according to the National Safety Council.
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trucks → involve → Council
Immigrant rights groups say the new rules exacerbate a truck driver shortage and inflame anti-immigrant bias by perpetuating the myth that all such drivers are unqualified.
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drivers → say → myth
They say many affected drivers are legally authorized to work and have strong safety records.
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drivers → say → records
The Asian Law Caucus and Sikh Coalition sued California’s DMV on behalf of drivers who faced cancellation of their licenses.
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who → sue → licenses
In March, an Alameda County judge declined to halt the cancellations but required the DMV to establish a process so they could reapply.
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they → decline → process
…and 2 more, not listed.
