U.S. Transportation Department issues emergency order shutting down 110 truck driving schools tied to parole-driven student pipeline

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced an emergency order Monday shutting down 110 big-rig driving schools, according to The Washington Times Politics. The department said the schools were churning out drivers it described as dangerous, including immigrant students who, officials said, could not speak English well enough to safely complete training and testing requirements.

The action affects schools that were operating under federal authority to certify commercial driver training. While the department did not publicly outline every operational detail in the available report, the order’s practical effect is to end the schools’ ability to continue enrolling and graduating students under the affected training and certification process while the department’s review proceeds.

The report ties the shutdown to a broader federal effort involving the Biden administration’s parole policy for migrants. The Times said the schools became a pipeline for immigrant students who were placed into truck-driving programs and then emerged as the focus of safety concerns raised by the department.

Officials cited safety risk as the reason for the emergency order. The report characterizes the problem as a pattern rather than an isolated incident, stating that the department concluded the schools were repeatedly generating unsafe drivers and that the students’ limited English proficiency contributed to training and performance concerns.

The emergency order also raises enforcement questions about how the federal government monitors training providers, particularly those enrolling non-English-speaking students. The shutdown underscores that the department is using its enforcement tools to address perceived systemic noncompliance in the commercial driver training industry, rather than relying only on case-by-case outcomes.

Because the shutdown is described as emergency action, the next steps depend on how DOT administers the order, including what requirements the affected schools must satisfy to seek reinstatement or corrected certification processes. The report indicates the closures are intended to stop the flow of trainees from these schools immediately, pending further federal review.