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The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s recent removal of 3,000 fraudulent truck driving schools from the Training Provider Registry (TPR) was a significant and overdue step. The registry was created to support the Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) rule, which was intended to establish a minimum national standard for training new commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders. However, flaws in how the rule was implemented allowed widespread abuse that undermined its original purpose.
As reporting has shown, the ELDT rule was weakened before it went into effect. Instead of strong oversight, truck driving schools were largely allowed to self-certify. There were no federally required minimum hours behind the wheel, no inspections of training facilities, and no verification of instructor credentials. Schools did not have to prove they tested drivers on specific skills, conducted road training, or even provided meaningful instruction. They only had to declare that a driver was “proficient,” without explaining how that determination was made.
This lack of oversight led to an explosion of listed providers. In less than three years, the TPR ballooned to more than 35,000 training providers. A closer look at the registry revealed serious red flags. Many “schools” were registered at private homes, small apartments, churches, or post office boxes—locations that clearly could not support commercial vehicle training. While the FMCSA’s recent purge addressed part of the problem, questions remain about how the agency should move forward.
One possible approach would be to screen providers based on physical characteristics, such as whether their listed address can realistically accommodate trucks. Schools operating out of residential properties could automatically trigger further review. However, this method alone may not be effective. Some questionable providers were likely short-lived operations created to meet temporary needs for specific fleets and may not have trained many drivers at all.
A more impactful strategy was proposed by 160 Driving Academy, a large national CDL training provider. In August 2024, the company submitted a Freedom of Information Act request asking the FMCSA to analyze fatal truck crash data and identify which training providers certified the drivers involved. The request sought details such as the name of the training provider, certification dates, training locations, and license types tied to fatal crashes.
The idea was straightforward: instead of guessing which schools might be fraudulent, focus enforcement on those linked to the most severe safety outcomes. By identifying training providers associated with a high number of fatal crashes, FMCSA could prioritize investigations where public safety risks appear greatest. Over time, this data could be used to assess training quality by comparing crash involvement to the number of drivers certified by each school.
Despite having access to both fatal crash data and ELDT certification records, the FMCSA did not fulfill the request. According to 160 Driving Academy’s leadership, the agency delayed repeatedly and ultimately declined to act, citing complexity. This represented a missed opportunity to use existing data to target the most dangerous training providers.
Looking ahead, the FMCSA has an opportunity to strengthen oversight in a meaningful way. Connecting crash data to training records would allow the agency to quickly identify problem schools and remove them from the registry. At the same time, the ELDT rule itself needs improvement, including clearly defined training hours, required behind-the-wheel instruction, standardized testing, and verified instructor qualifications. Addressing these gaps would move the industry closer to a system that prioritizes safety and accountability.
Source:
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/commentary-how-the-fmcsa-should-investigate-truck-driving-schools
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