FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — A federal crackdown is targeting more than 550 commercial driver training schools across the country, including two in Fresno, after investigators found alleged safety violations.
The U.S. Transportation Department announced that more than 550 schools received notices of proposed removal from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s national training provider registry. Federal investigators conducted more than 1,400 inspections nationwide.
Officials said some schools used unqualified instructors, failed to properly test students or used vehicles that did not match the type of training being offered.
If a school is removed from the registry, it can no longer certify new commercial drivers.
Federal crackdown targets more than 550 trucking schools, including two in Fresno
In Fresno, Francisco Barraza López operates a commercial driver training yard that helps students prepare for a Class A commercial licenses.
“Basically, what I do here is provide help for people who want to get their Class A license,” Barraza López said. “I’ve been doing this for 20 years at this location in Fresno.”
Barraza López’s business is on the list for proposed removal. He said navigating federal regulations has been challenging.
“The website is a site where you can spend hours and hours reading it but you can also read it now and tomorrow it will have changed,” he said. “It’s something like right now very messy very complicated.”
It remains unclear how schools are being formally notified.
“I mean, I honestly can’t comment. I don’t know how they’re how they’re letting these trucking school, whether it’s by letter, phone call, I would assume it’d be a letter, but probably I would assume certified mail, but I don’t really know,” said Louie Pugh, executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association.
Pugh, a former truck driver with 25 years of experience, said he believes the enforcement action is necessary.
“I think it’s a wonderful thing. This is something that truckers have been complaining about for years and years and years,” Pugh said. “Some of these CDL schools, you know, they just spit drivers out. They put profits over people, profits over Highway Safety.”
Still, he said most drivers and carriers operate responsibly.
“I hope people listening don’t concern themselves, because there’s still hundreds of 1000s of good operators. There’s 1000s of good motor carriers who are doing it the right way. These are a few bad problem people,” Pugh said.
An additional 97 training providers remain under investigation.