The Government has found that thousands of programmes do not meet the minimum requirements. Find out the details. The training of truck drivers is going through one of the most tense moments in recent years. In a country already dealing with staff shortages, exhausting working hours and increasingly demanding routes, thousands of students seeking to obtain a commercial licence may be left without a training centre due to a series of federal measures that directly impact the sector. According to new assessments by the Department of Transport, around 44% of registered training programmes do not meet the required standards, which jeopardises their continuity and creates a scenario of great uncertainty for teachers, candidates and employers.
An industry with staff shortages and centres at risk
The official review found that thousands of programmes do not meet the minimum requirements to continue operating within the Register of Training Providers. Removal from the list is a direct blow: schools that lose their certification will no longer be able to issue the certificates required to obtain a CDL, an essential document for working legally as a commercial driver. In addition to the expulsions, thousands of other centres have received non-compliance notices and have only 30 days to demonstrate that they comply with federal standards.
Trump revoked these drivers’ licences for failing to meet minimum requirements
Under the current administration, the government has decided to tighten controls on truck driver training across the country. According to data from the Department of Transportation, about 3,000 centres have been removed from the official registry and another 4,000 are under immediate review. The central argument is to enhance safety and prevent inadequately trained drivers from obtaining a driving licence and operating semi-trailers, school buses or heavy-duty trucks. Authorities such as Transport Secretary Sean Duffy and FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs maintain that the purge is necessary to unify standards and end irregular practices such as data falsification, incomplete training and inaccurate records.
Thousands of candidates left waiting
For those who were about to start or complete their training, the situation is particularly critical. The closure of programmes means delays, additional costs and, in some cases, the search for new authorised schools in order to complete the mandatory training. Transport companies, for their part, warn that the measure could exacerbate the shortage of drivers, a problem that already affects supply chains and delivery times across the country.
