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ATA Outlines Threat of Fraudulent CDL Mills
On Capitol Hill, Spear Points to Safety Practices Industry Pursues
Key Takeaways:
- ATA in October called on lawmakers to bolster guidance used to ensure truck drivers are qualified to maneuver vehicles on the highways.
- In December, Duffy announced that 3,000 CDL training providers were removed from FMCSA's Training Provider Registry. Another 4,500 training providers were placed on notice amid potential noncompliance.
WASHINGTON — American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear again called on congressional policymakers to tackle growing concerns linked to fraudulent CDL mills.
During a Jan. 21 hearing on Capitol Hill, ATA’s chief executive pointed to legislative and administrative efforts that would further enhance guidelines for the licensing of commercial drivers. The safety of motorists and commercial drivers is the group’s operating principle.
“Our federation has been working hand in glove with [U.S. Department of Transportation] to implement comprehensive solutions. These include upholding and strengthening federal driver qualifications, shutting down CDL mills and reinforcing these policies through regular audits, transparent reporting and meaningful supervision,” Spear said at the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight.
“We appreciate the subcommittee’s focus on these issues and look forward to being a resource as you seek to codify these regulatory actions,” Spear added. “While the integrity of the CDL system is foundational to highway safety, the systems that monitor driver compliance and enable roadside enforcement are just as critical.
Safety is trucking's North Star
The overwhelming majority of America’s 3.6 million truck drivers meet every requirement, every day with high standards of professionalism.
A CDL should represent a promise that the person behind the wheel of an 80,000-pound vehicle is… pic.twitter.com/jaRthN6SQF — American Trucking (@TRUCKINGdotORG) January 22, 2026
“In recent years, the proliferation of noncompliant electronic logging devices has emerged as a serious and rapidly evolving threat.”
In his opening remarks, subcommittee Chairman Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) detailed high-profile accidents that involved unqualified commercial drivers. Reacting to the chairman’s remarks, Spear emphasized: “Those drivers were not able to speak English, understand English — probably should have never been driving in the first place. They were issued CDLs when they shouldn’t have them. You don’t want people like that behind the wheel of a 40-ton U.S. truck.”
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Van Drew
ATA in October called on lawmakers to bolster guidance used to ensure truck drivers are qualified to maneuver vehicles on the highways.
“As the largest national association representing the trucking industry,” Spear said at the time, “ATA and its members recognize the critical importance of a trained, qualified driver workforce and have identified several specific steps towards strengthening the processes and checks that ensure a commercial driver is fit to operate on our nation’s roadways.”
Last year, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) were among a cadre of lawmakers that unveiled bills requiring commercial driver license testing be conducted in English. The senior lawmakers also pressed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to investigate this industry concern. Cotton and Barr pointed to such noncompliant entry-level driver training programs as mechanisms designed to exploit regulatory loopholes. They argued that such loopholes result in poorly trained drivers that could pose a threat to motorists.
“As the sponsors of the Secure Commercial Driver Licensing Act, we have been at the forefront of efforts to strengthen our commercial licensing system,” the two members of Congress wrote the secretary Oct. 28. “While Congress works to pass the legislation, we strongly encourage DOT to use its rulemaking authority to make further changes like mandatory training hours behind the wheel for CDLs. We applaud the steps you have taken to ensure the safety of Arkansans and Kentuckians.”
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Lummis
Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) also introduced legislation that would require CDL holders to understand and communicate in English. Her measure also would disqualify commercial drivers who fail requisite English standards.
Alongside Congress’ focus on the issue, Duffy has pursued efforts to investigate and eliminate fraudulent CDL mills as well as noncompliant entry-level driver training programs. DOT’s sustained enforcement for English-language proficiency standards is driving the secretary’s highway safety agenda. The secretary highlighted the department’s CDL focus in marking the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term.
In December, Duffy announced that 3,000 CDL training providers were removed from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Training Provider Registry. Another 4,500 training providers were placed on notice amid potential noncompliance.
“This administration is cracking down on every link in the illegal trucking chain. Under [President] Joe Biden and [Secretary] Pete Buttigieg, bad actors were able to game the system and let unqualified drivers flood our roadways. Their negligence endangered every family on America’s roadways, and it ends today,” Duffy said Dec. 1. “Under President Trump, we are [reining] in illegal and reckless practices that let poorly trained drivers get behind the wheel of semi-trucks and school buses.”
