(The Center Square) \u2013 Pennsylvania tied for the most physical training locations affected by a sweeping federal interagency crackdown on fraud in the commercial trucking industry announced Aug. 31.\u00a0<\/p>\n
State lawmakers, however, saw the need for action long before that.<\/p>\n
Sen. Judy Ward, R-Hollidaysburg, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, introduced a three-bill package earlier this year aimed at tightening Pennsylvania\u2019s commercial driver training, licensing, and safety requirements.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Senate Bill 1294 became Act 50 of 2026 in July, increasing penalties for unauthorized CDL training schools. Senate Bill 1295 passed the Senate and remains before the House Transportation Committee, while Senate Bill 1296 remains pending in the Senate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe implementation of my Act 50 of 2026<\/a> by the Department of Education, coupled with federal enforcement actions, will end the unlawful operation of \u2018CDL mills\u2019 in this Commonwealth,\u201d said Ward in an email statement to The Center Square.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cOur next mission,\u201d Ward said, \u201cis codifying English proficiency standards with my Senate Bill 1295<\/a> and the proposed federal regulation<\/a>, which will reduce preventable truck crashes and reinforce commercial vehicle safety on our roadways.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Federal officials said a series of enforcement actions by the U.S. departments of Transportation, Homeland Security and Justice, would root out fraud in commercial driver training and licensing and improve highway safety.\u00a0<\/p>\n Eight U.S. attorneys joined Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator Derek Barrs, and White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud Vice Chairman Andrew Ferguson in announcing the initiative.\u00a0<\/p>\n Officials were joined by Marcus Coleman and his daughter Dalilah, who was critically injured in a 2024 California crash involving a commercial truck driven by a man whom DHS says was in the U.S. illegally.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Justice Department announced its new Joint Task Force Crossroads of America<\/a>, which brings together eight U.S. attorneys\u2019 offices in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to target criminal networks and fraud in the industry.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks to the recklessness of sanctuary politicians, there is a growing and alarming trend of illegal aliens being granted commercial driver\u2019s licenses,\u201d said Mullin. \u201cMany of them don\u2019t speak English or understand the rules of the road, and yet they\u2019re driving among us, endangering our loved ones.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Mullin said DHS and ICE are working to remove what he described as dangerous drivers from U.S. roadways, while the department\u2019s partnership with DOT is intended to root out CDL fraud and prevent people in the country illegally from obtaining commercial licenses.\u00a0<\/p>\n FMCSA, an operating administration within DOT, oversees commercial motor vehicle safety and maintains the federal Training Provider Registry.<\/p>\n In July, FMCSA said it had identified approximately 75 entry-level driver training schools suspected of fraudulent activities, including improper driver certifications, falsified training records, and failing to properly train CDL applicants.\u00a0<\/p>\n The announcement included several additional enforcement actions.\u00a0<\/p>\n FMCSA said it was executing the emergency removal of more than 110 entry-level driver training providers associated with more than 5,000 drivers who failed English-language proficiency tests. The agency also announced a nationwide audit of third-party CDL skills testers and states\u2019 oversight of those testers.\u00a0<\/p>\n Separately, nearly 400 investigations conducted in 40 states resulted in more than 160 notices of proposed removal from the Training Provider Registry. According to FMCSA, drivers certified by those providers were linked to 239 commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities.<\/p>\n \u201cUSDOT has spent the last year-and-a-half strengthening the rules of the road and removing dangerous foreign drivers from our trucking industry,\u201d said Duffy. \u201cTo fully root out the scourge of fraud, hold criminals accountable, and restore safety, we need the support of federal law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n Duffy said he was grateful for the Trump administration\u2019s role in leading the charge to crack down on fraud nationwide. \u201cFrom states failing to follow the law to shady training schools and illicit companies, together we will tackle every link in the chain,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Pennsylvania tied Texas for the most brick-and-mortar training facilities affected by the emergency action \u2013 with 13 each. According to a DOT breakdown provided to Fox News<\/a>, California had 11, Florida 10, Utah nine, and the remaining states ranged from 1-7.\u00a0<\/p>\n FMCSA\u2019s live Training Provider Registry<\/a>, however, lists 20 Pennsylvania provider entries as \u201cEmergency Removals\u201d dated Aug. 31, including seven in Philadelphia alone. DOT\u2019s state breakdown counted physical training locations, while the registry simply lists individual provider records.\u00a0<\/p>\n