KENOSHA, Wis. — A commercial driver training school in Kenosha has been ordered to shut down as part of a massive federal crackdown targeting CDL schools accused of putting improperly qualified drivers on America’s highways.
CDL Pro School in Kenosha is one of more than 110 Entry-Level Driver Training providers being removed from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Training Provider Registry, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Two other Wisconsin schools, On Your Way CDL Training in Milwaukee and Tez CDL School in Sturtevant, were also targeted.
The action was announced Monday by U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and other federal officials as part of what the Trump Administration described as an unprecedented interagency effort to combat fraud in the commercial trucking industry.
Federal officials said investigators identified the schools by examining roadside inspection records involving commercial drivers who were cited for failing federal English-language proficiency requirements. Those records were then compared against the federal Training Provider Registry to determine which schools had repeatedly certified drivers who later failed the English requirements.
The more than 110 schools targeted for emergency removal were associated with more than 5,000 drivers who failed English-language proficiency tests, according to USDOT.
The federal government says the affected training providers must immediately cease operating as Entry-Level Driver Training providers, including classroom instruction, use of training facilities and behind-the-wheel instruction.
The crackdown goes substantially further than the Kenosha-area schools.
In July, FMCSA deployed 175 investigators across 40 states and conducted nearly 400 investigations of CDL training providers. Investigators reported finding schools without adequate space to conduct required driving maneuvers, instructors who lacked proper licenses, missing assessment records and, in one particularly unusual case, a provider that claimed its classroom was located inside a school bus in the back of a trailer.
Those investigations resulted in more than 160 additional notices of proposed removal from the federal registry.
Federal officials said drivers certified by those more than 160 providers have been linked to 239 commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities.
Wisconsin was also specifically included in a nationwide federal enforcement surge Monday. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations was expected to coordinate with USDOT and FMCSA-certified inspectors on commercial vehicle enforcement and inspection checkpoints, with Wisconsin, Michigan and Maine identified as areas of focus.
Homeland Security Investigations simultaneously launched enforcement activity involving more than 200 driving schools across 23 states. Federal authorities said the broader investigation is examining CDL fraud, unauthorized employment, identity-document fraud, financial crimes, money laundering, labor exploitation and potential connections to human smuggling, drug trafficking and cartel activity.
The government has also launched a nationwide audit of third-party CDL skills testers and the states responsible for overseeing them.
USDOT says more than 28,000 commercial drivers have been placed out of service for failing English-language proficiency requirements since June 2025, while states have been forced to cancel more than 30,000 licenses that federal officials say were illegally issued to foreign drivers.
The administration warned that states themselves could face consequences if their CDL programs fail to comply with federal requirements. A state ultimately found in substantial noncompliance can lose up to 4% of certain federal highway funding during the first year and up to 8% in subsequent years. In serious cases, federal regulators can begin decertification proceedings, which could prevent a state from issuing, renewing, transferring or upgrading commercial driver’s licenses.
The Wisconsin closures include CDL Pro School in Kenosha, Tez CDL School in Sturtevant and On Your Way CDL Training in Milwaukee, placing two of the state’s three affected schools in southeastern Wisconsin.
The enforcement action is part of the newly announced Joint Task Force Crossroads of America, bringing together federal prosecutors and agencies including USDOT, FMCSA, FBI, DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, ICE and ATF. The task force initially includes the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.
Duffy, a Wisconsin native and former Wisconsin congressman, said federal authorities intend to pursue problems throughout the commercial licensing system, from states that fail to enforce federal requirements to training schools and trucking companies engaged in illegal activity.
The federal government says its ultimate goal is to prevent unqualified commercial drivers from getting behind the wheel and reduce serious and fatal crashes on American highways.
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