EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched a statewide investigation into several trucking schools, including one in El Paso, alleging they may be endangering the public by providing inadequate commercial driver training, including to non-English speakers, in violation of state and federal law.

As part of the investigation, Paxton’s office has sent Civil Investigative Demands to EP Texas Trucking School (EP Trucking), Trucker Certified LLC (Trucker Certified), Fast Track CDL LLC (Fast Track), CDLCALL.COM LLC (CDLCALL), and Lindenwood Education System (Ancora).

Federal regulations require commercial driver’s license holders to “read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, understand highway traffic signs and signals in English, respond to official inquiries, and make entries on reports and records.”

Texas and federal law also require CDL training providers to ensure students are adequately prepared to safely operate commercial motor vehicles and comply with applicable safety standards.

The Attorney General’s Office said preliminary findings suggest some schools may be disregarding those requirements.

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The office cited EP Trucking as an example, saying it tells prospective students that English proficiency is not necessary to complete the program and advertises its services in Spanish.

The investigation also alleges several entities have falsely claimed to be a certified school and that some programs advertise accelerated training timelines as short as about 20 days, below the industry norm of three to seven weeks. The office said those actions indicate insufficient instruction and evaluation.

Paxton’s office said the alleged conduct violates the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and poses a significant risk to public safety.

Putting non-English speakers behind the wheel of 18-wheelers in America can pose serious threats to public safety,” Paxton said. “My office is thoroughly investigating these trucking schools, and I am taking this matter very seriously. I will fight to ensure that Texans are safe and that only qualified, English-speaking truckers are operating commercial vehicles on our roads.

EP Texas Trucking School has physical locations in Odessa and El Paso.

Trucker Certified has locations in Pampa, Amarillo, Plainview and Borger. Fast Track CDL is located in Garland. CDLCALL operates in San Antonio, and Ancora has a main office in Arlington.

The attorney general’s office said the schools likely send graduates to trucking companies across Texas, including major freight hubs such as Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston.

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