Louisiana Faces Truck Driving School Closures in Safety Crackdown

Bad news today for hundreds of truck driving schools in the U.S. More than 500 have been ordered closed by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). The federal agency is cracking down on what it calls "CDL mills." This crackdown began last year when more than 7,500 facilities were ordered closed. Now, an additional 550 active schools were ordered to close after failing rigorous safety audits.

What Trucking Schools in Louisiana Are on the Chopping Block

In Louisiana, the impact is hitting a couple of small, independent training providers and local district-run programs particularly hard. In Louisiana, J and L CDL Service in Opelousas and East Baton Rouge Parish School Systems Transportation Department are on the federal hit list.

READ MORE: Remember Trucker Road Rage Incident in Shreveport?

Established leaders like Diesel Driving Academy remain stable. That company operates a training program in Shreveport. Schools that meet the requirements are expected to be busy because there is still a trucker shortage in the country.

The Feds Cracking Down on Substandard Training

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is targeting programs that prioritize speed over safety. Investigators discovered widespread problems, including unqualified instructors, the use of faulty equipment, and a failure to teach hazardous material handling. The feds say they will no longer tolerate These "shortcuts" are no longer tolerated as the administration seeks to curb rising accident rates and tighten English proficiency standards.

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Some of the schools are also being cut because of inactivity. They have been removed because they hadn't uploaded a single student certification in over a year, suggesting they were "ghost schools."

The feds say these schools on the "chopping block" will not get any more federal money until they are cleared and have the proper training in place.