Commentary: Big Tent Ideas

CHRIS SPEAR: Shut Down CDL Mills Because Lives Depend On It

Xnatedawgx/Wikimedia Commons

Across America, millions of professional truck drivers earn their commercial driver’s licenses (CDL’s) the right way, through rigorous training, testing, and an unwavering commitment to safety. That license is a promise to everyone sharing the road that the person behind the wheel of an 80,000-pound vehicle is qualified, competent, and accountable.

CDL mills break that promise.

These fly-by-night operations masquerade as legitimate training schools but instead sell credentials to fast-track unqualified individuals into the driver’s seat with insufficient training, inadequate testing, and minimal oversight. They undermine the integrity of the entire trucking industry, devaluing the CDL and putting unsafe drivers on public roads.

Put simply, CDL mills strip away safeguards designed to prevent tragedy. Operating a tractor-trailer requires specialized skills and an adherence to high standards of professionalism and safety. Issuing licenses without that preparation is reckless, and the cost is paid in lives. We saw that reality in Florida, where three people were killed by a truck driver who never should have been behind the wheel in the first place.

The risks only grow when drivers cannot read or understand English well enough to comprehend road signs, safety instructions, or emergency communications. When states fail to verify qualifications or allow sham schools to rubber-stamp licenses, the result is predictable: more crashes, more fatalities, and more innocent lives at risk.

Trucking cannot—and will not—accept those who put profit ahead of safety. That’s why the recent decisive actions taken by the Trump administration matter.

Last month, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy removed nearly 3,000 noncompliant training providers from FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry and placed another 4,500 on notice for failing to meet federal standards—nearly half of all registered programs nationwide. Many were cited for falsifying records, skirting curriculum and instructor requirements, or refusing to cooperate with federal audits.

This historic crackdown followed years of allowing schools to “self-certify,” meaning almost anyone could claim to be a qualified training provider. Those scammers lingered for years.

Instead of ignoring the problem, the administration recognized that weak enforcement and inconsistent state practices allowed illegitimate operators to slip through the cracks, and it acted. States are held accountable, and bad actors are removed.

The result is simple: stronger compliance, fewer unqualified drivers, and safer roads.

This isn’t about politics. Highway safety is not a partisan issue. Truck drivers, motorists, families, and businesses all benefit when standards are enforced and bad actors are removed from the system. Our industry is encouraged by Duffy’s clear understanding that safety is trucking’s North Star.

It’s also about fairness. Law-abiding motor carriers invest heavily in training and compliance. CDL mills reward corner-cutting and punish those who follow the rules, threatening the integrity of our industry.

But the work isn’t finished. States should strengthen their verification systems, federal regulators need to remain vigilant, and Congress can work with industry partners on commonsense legislation to bolster the efforts of this administration.

Truck drivers are professionals, and the public deserves to know every CDL holder has earned that title. Shutting down CDL mills isn’t optional.

Lives depend on it.

Chris Spear is President and CEO of the American Trucking Associations.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.

(Featured Image Media Credit: Xnatedawgx/Wikimedia Commons)