Federal officials shut down eleven California truck schools over English language failures

Federal regulators have terminated operations at eleven California commercial driving schools after investigations revealed that many of their graduates lacked sufficient English skills to pass national proficiency exams. The schools, located in Southern California, the Bay Area and the Central Valley, were marketed to multilingual communities, yet the closures stem from failures tied to over 5,000 drivers nationwide. The Department of Transportation, led by Secretary Sean Duffy, issued an emergency directive that also placed 160 additional schools on hold for not meeting training-facility criteria.

During a press conference in Detroit, Duffy emphasized that operating a big-rig without English proficiency endangers the public. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin labeled California the “worst abusers” of commercial driver licenses, attributing the problem to policies in sanctuary cities under Governor Gavin Newsom. The action follows a broader federal effort that has shut schools in Pennsylvania and Texas, the two states with the highest number of closures.