Federal transportation officials and state attorneys general are moving to shut down commercial driver training schools alleged to have issued credentials to unqualified drivers, including some who were not proficient in English, after a series of fatal crashes that prosecutors say involved fraudulently obtained licenses.
Mike Kucharski, co-owner and vice president of Illinois-based JKC Trucking, told Fox News Digital that the problem has reached a critical point. "This is just madness," he said. "You wouldn't put someone in a cockpit of a Boeing 737 flying from New York to California if they weren't properly trained or couldn't communicate clearly or speak English. The same standard should apply to our highways."
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation this week into several commercial driving schools for allegedly providing inadequate training, including to non-English speakers, which his office said violates federal law requiring basic English comprehension and Texas requirements for adequate instruction.
The probe follows a U.S. Department of Transportation announcement that the agency has issued more than 550 notices of removal, or decertification, to CDL training schools found in violation of federal safety standards. In Ohio, authorities revealed that Modou Ngom, charged in a fiery interstate crash that killed a family of three, allegedly obtained his commercial driver's license and later U.S. citizenship under an alternate identity.
In Indiana, Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Bekzhan Beishekeev, whom authorities say held a Pennsylvania-issued CDL despite being in the country illegally. The Department of Homeland Security said Beishekeev is accused of killing four people on Feb. 3 when he swerved into oncoming traffic and struck a van head-on. Oregon ICE agents also recently arrested Rajinder Kumar, an Indian national who authorities say jackknifed his semi-truck and caused a crash that killed a newlywed couple.
What the Right Is Saying
Conservative officials and industry groups argue that the current situation represents a dangerous failure of federal oversight. Kucharski said unqualified drivers create risks for all motorists, including school buses and families commuting to work.
"When unqualified drivers slip through the cracks, that creates risk for our motoring public," he said, adding that accidents continue to occur. "The longer this continues, there's going to be more accidents, more people that are going to perish."
Republican attorneys general have framed the issue as both a public safety and an economic concern. Kucharski argued that fraudulent operators drive up insurance costs for legitimate businesses and ultimately increase prices for consumers. He said illegal immigrants obtaining non-domiciled CDLs from states like California and New York can undercut American trucking companies by working for lower rates.
"All our truckers are fighting for the same load, and it goes to the lowest bidder," Kucharski told Fox News Digital. "If you have these drivers coming in that are non-domiciled, they have no family here, they have no home, they live in their truck." He said this puts small trucking businesses out of business daily.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive advocacy groups and some Democratic lawmakers have urged caution in how enforcement efforts are carried out, warning against racial profiling of immigrant communities. They note that commercial trucking has long faced labor shortages and argue that addressing training standards should focus on school accountability rather than immigration status.
Labor advocates contend that drivers who paid for fraudulent credentials are themselves victims of predatory schools that exploited their desire for employment. Some progressive commentators have argued that the focus should be on strengthening enforcement against the training companies, not on rounding up workers who were sold fraudulent licenses.
Immigration rights organizations maintain that due process protections must apply to any enforcement actions and have called for clear documentation requirements rather than policies that could lead to discrimination against lawful permanent residents or naturalized citizens from specific countries.
What the Numbers Show
The Department of Transportation has issued more than 550 decertification notices to CDL training schools since launching enforcement actions. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulates commercial driver training and requires English language proficiency for anyone holding a commercial driver's license.
According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data, large trucks were involved in approximately 4,500 fatal crashes annually over recent years. Studies have shown human error accounts for the majority of commercial vehicle accidents, with inadequate training cited as a contributing factor in some cases.
The Government Accountability Office has previously reported that states lack consistent verification procedures for CDL credentials, creating potential gaps in identifying fraudulent licenses. FMSCA regulations require employers to verify driver qualifications, but enforcement resources are limited relative to the number of licensed commercial drivers nationwide.
The Bottom Line
Federal and state officials have begun taking action against schools alleged to have issued credentials without adequate training or English proficiency verification. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has made combating sham CDL schools a priority for the department.
Regulators face questions about how to verify credentials across state lines, particularly when drivers obtain licenses in states different from their legal residence. The Texas investigation is ongoing, and Ohio authorities continue proceedings in cases involving fraudulently obtained credentials.
Industry observers say legitimate trucking companies support enforcement against fraudulent schools but want clearer standards and better verification systems. Watch for further announcements from FMSCA on additional school decertifications and any federal guidance to states on CDL credential verification.