The Trump Administration sent some top brass to Detroit this week to deliver a warning to truck driving schools across America: Stop giving licenses to immigrants who can't read or speak English, or prepare to be shut down.
"If you're here illegally and you can't speak the language ... you don't deserve to be in a big rig on American roads and endangering citizens," U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a Monday, Aug. 31 news conference in downtown Detroit, where he announced what he called a crackdown on fraud in the trucking industry.
The Department of Homeland Security chief was there, too. So were U.S. Attorneys from four states — Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio — along with the head of the Federal Trade Commission. They all converged
on Detroit, which is the second busiest truck crossing in North America with 2.5 million trucks passing through every year.
Officials said while the problematic driving schools are mostly in California and New York, their undocumented drivers are getting pulled over in the Midwest, where law enforcement is discovering they can't speak or read English.
"These drivers squeeze American truckers out of the marketplace with low wages, and often they’re up to worse — they’re hauling guns and drugs on behalf of crime syndicates," said metro Detroit's U.S. Attorney Jerome Gordon, who was one of eight federal prosecutors who attended the press conference.
The U.S. Attorneys are part of an initiative called Crossroads in America, where they have vowed to prosecute illegal truck drivers and schools who have been investigated by Department of Homeland Security investigators.
The news conference focused largely on truck driving schools that officials say are giving commercial driving licenses to both undocumented and legal immigrants who can't read or speak English — the language rule is required by federal law. They said these truck drivers are a safety hazard, and responsible for the deaths of 239 individuals who have died on American roadways, and hundreds more who have been injured in accidents with unqualified truck drivers.
"We have schools that know the rule and still pass people through the school even though they don't speak English," said Duffy, noting the federal crackdown is already underway.
According to U.S. Department of Transportation data, 30 people were killed in accidents caused by foreign drivers in 2025. The DOT has since announced reforms that prevent foreign drivers who have not been subject to proper screening from receiving a commercial driver’s license.
According to the DOT, while U.S. drivers are subject to checks through national databases for past violations — such as DUIs, reckless driving, or crash involvement — states lack the ability to access the driving records of foreigners and illegal immigrants. This loophole allowed individuals with dangerous driving histories to obtain a trucking license simply by presenting an Employment Authorization Document (EAD), which does not screen for transportation safety.
Duffy said the government has issued an emergency executive shutdown of 110 driving schools over the licensing of non-English speaking drivers, and another 160 schools have been shut down for allegedly not being properly certified to train drivers.
"There’s a new sheriff in town" Duffy said, warning that more closures are coming. "This is not a red issue. This is not a blue issue ... it’s an American safety issue."
In delivering his speech, Duffy referenced a 5-year-old girl who was struck by a commercial truck driver who was an undocumented immigrant and couldn't speak English. The girl was in a coma for three months following the accident and is still recovering.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Derek Barrs also attended the news conference and announced a nationwide audit of third-party businesses that administer tests for truck driving schools. He said the government has identified 30,000 drivers who cannot speak English. One of those drivers was licensed in California, he said, and killed someone in Oklahoma.
Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Feds visit Detroit; vow crackdown on truckers who can't speak English
