Allegations that “CDL mills” are churning out inadequately trained drivers have long simmered inside the industry. FreightWaves’ recent analysis put that concern squarely in the safety spotlight, arguing that weak oversight of training providers and third‑party testers undermines the Entry‑Level Driver Training regime and, ultimately, public trust in the CDL. The past 48 hours suggest that concern is no longer just an industry gripe — it’s becoming a federal enforcement priority.
On Monday, Oct. 27, the Associated Press reported that U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he is prepared to pull $160 million in federal funding from California, asserting the state is issuing commercial licenses to noncitizens in violation of newly tightened federal rules. California’s DMV pushed back, saying the state complies with federal law; Duffy countered on national television that the department could also move to suspend California’s CDL‑issuing authority. The warning lands as DOT continues a national audit of CDL issuance practices.
Two days earlier, AP detailed the case now animating the political fight: Florida prosecutors say a truck driver involved in an Aug. 12 crash that killed three people had failed Washington state’s CDL written test 10 times in 2023 before ultimately obtaining a license later transferred to California. Florida is using the incident to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to block states from issuing CDLs to people who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, framing it as a public‑safety and federal preemption issue.
Why this matters for carriers: the enforcement lens is widening from roadside compliance to the front end of the pipeline — training, testing and licensing. If DOT couples funding penalties with a Supreme Court test of state licensing discretion, expect sharper scrutiny of ELDT records, third‑party exam sites and any program with a reputation for pushing students through. That has immediate risk implications for fleets: insurers and shippers are likely to ask for stronger proof that a driver’s training was legitimate, recent and aligned to federal standards, not just that a CDL is on file.
What fleets can do now:
- Verify the provenance of every CDL and ELDT record. Don’t stop at a document check — confirm the training provider’s status and that behind‑the‑wheel hours match your internal thresholds. If you use outside schools, audit them.
- Re‑test and ride‑along strategically. A brief in‑cab assessment focused on backing, space management and communication can surface gaps that “paper‑clean” files miss.
- Document English‑language proficiency. Regardless of how the California dispute is resolved, enforcement emphasis on the English requirement means carriers should be prepared to show how they evaluated communication ability during onboarding and recurrent training.
- Harden vendor due diligence. If a training partner or third‑party tester is later sanctioned, you want a defensible trail showing you vetted curriculum, instructor credentials and pass‑rate patterns.
The policy trajectory is clear: licensing integrity and training quality are moving to the center of the safety conversation. For fleets, treating CDL validation and ELDT verification as core risk controls — not clerical tasks — is the fastest way to get ahead of the scrutiny and keep freight moving.
Sources: FreightWaves, AP News
This article was prepared exclusively for TruckStopInsider.com. Republishing is permitted only with proper credit and a link back to the original source.
