Trucking industry says crackdown removed thousands of illegal operators

A new progress report from the Trucking Association Executives Council says federal and state enforcement has made measurable gains against unsafe carriers, fraudulent CDL schools and other trucking violations since last fall. The report points to thousands of schools, drivers, carriers and noncompliant devices removed from the system, while warning more enforcement and staffing are still needed.

Why it matters: - The trucking industry says stronger enforcement is helping close gaps that let unsafe and fraudulent operators compete with legitimate carriers. - The effort is aimed at improving highway safety, protecting compliant trucking companies and raising standards for professional drivers. - The report says sustained action is still needed to stop bad actors before they endanger the public.

What happened: - The Trucking Association Executives Council released a progress report on July 22, 2026 tracking federal and state action tied to its Trucking Resurgence agenda. - The report says the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and state governments have acted across nearly every priority in the plan. - TAEC says the actions are intended to remove illegal operators, strengthen oversight and restore fairness in trucking. - Tony Bradley, president and CEO of the Arizona Trucking Association and chairman of TAEC, said the results show what can happen when the industry and regulators work together.

The details: - TAEC says nearly 10,000 CDL schools were removed from the federal Training Provider Registry. - TAEC says 550 fraudulent CDL schools were shut down. - Federal and state efforts included $217 million in new federal safety and CDL integrity investments. - Authorities opened 704 investigations of high-risk carriers. - TAEC says 430 carriers voluntarily stopped operating and another 60 to 70 were shut down. - Cabotage enforcement led to 3,200 visa revocations, according to the report. - Regulators audited all 50 states’ CDL programs and non-domiciled CDL issuance. - More than 194,000 non-domiciled CDLs will no longer qualify under strengthened federal requirements, the report says. - Noncompliant states lost $273 million in highway funding. - More than 27,000 drivers were placed out of service for English-language proficiency violations. - Regulators removed 76 noncompliant electronic logging device platforms from the approved registry and blocked 426 more. - More than 20 states have taken legislative action, according to the report. - FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs said the agency’s mission is to prevent crashes, fatalities and injuries involving large trucks and buses. - Barrs said the agency must identify bad actors, enforce the law and close gaps that threaten highway safety and trucking industry integrity. - The original Trucking Resurgence plan focused on CDL integrity, federal motor carrier safety data, cross-border workforce integrity, non-domiciled CDLs, English-language proficiency, trucking fraud and electronic logging devices. - The report says many recommendations centered on better use of existing authority, stronger verification and more consistent enforcement.

Between the lines: - The report frames enforcement as both a safety issue and a market-fairness issue for carriers that comply with the rules. - TAEC is signaling that industry pressure has shifted the policy debate from identifying problems to closing loopholes. - The push for staffing at FMCSA suggests the industry believes enforcement gains could stall without more capacity. - TAEC’s support for the FMCSA Modernization Plan shows the group wants structural changes, not only one-off crackdowns.

What's next: - TAEC says it will keep working with FMCSA, Congress, state officials and law enforcement on additional reform. - The group is backing the Truckload Carriers Association’s FMCSA Modernization Plan, which calls for stronger vetting of new carriers, a unified registration system and a more proactive way to identify unsafe operators. - The report says further enforcement and reform are still necessary to keep unsafe operators out of the industry. - TAEC says the full progress report and original action plan are available at the Trucking Resurgence website.