TAEC report says crackdown on illegal trucking is gaining ground

The Trucking Association Executives Council says federal and state enforcement has removed thousands of fraudulent CDL schools, high-risk carriers and noncompliant operators since last fall. The group says the progress is improving highway safety and fairness, but more staffing and reform are still needed.

Why it matters: - The trucking industry says the crackdown is reducing the number of unsafe and fraudulent operators on U.S. roads. - The enforcement push is aimed at highway safety, carrier fairness and the integrity of the commercial driver licensing system. - TAEC says legitimate carriers and drivers have been undercut by operators that exploit regulatory gaps.

What happened: - The Trucking Association Executives Council released a progress report tracking federal and state action against illegal trucking operations. - The report follows TAEC’s action plan, Trucking Resurgence: The Fight for Fairness and Safety, released last fall. - The report says the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and state governments acted across nearly every priority in the plan. - TAEC Chairman Tony Bradley said the results show what can happen when industry and regulators work together.

The details: - The report says nearly 10,000 CDL schools were removed from the federal Training Provider Registry. - The report says 550 fraudulent CDL schools were shut down. - Federal safety and CDL integrity investments reached $217 million, according to the report. - Regulators opened 704 investigations of high-risk carriers. - The report says 430 carriers voluntarily ceased operations, and another 60 to 70 were shut down. - Cabotage enforcement led to 3,200 visa revocations, according to the report. - All 50 states were audited for CDL program compliance 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, the report says.

Between the lines: - The report frames the enforcement drive as a way to close loopholes rather than create entirely new rules. - Many of the original recommendations focused on better verification, stronger use of existing authority and more consistent enforcement. - Bradley said each action makes it harder for illegal operators to gain an unfair advantage over compliant carriers. - FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs said the agency’s mission requires a system with no room for fraud or deliberate noncompliance.

What's next: - TAEC says sustained enforcement and additional reform are still needed. - The report says FMCSA needs enough staffing to identify high-risk operators before they threaten the public. - TAEC has endorsed the FMCSA Modernization Plan from the Truckload Carriers Association. - The modernization plan calls for stronger vetting of new carriers, a unified registration system and a more proactive process for identifying unsafe operators. - TAEC said it will keep working with FMCSA, Congress, state officials and law enforcement. - The Trucking Resurgence Progress Report and the original action plan are available here.