(NewsNation) — The U.S. Department of Transportation is giving trucking schools an ultimatum: follow federal safety and training standards or lose your accreditation.
The agency, led by Secretary Sean Duffy, announced that nearly 3,000 trucking schools in the country have not been following federal standards, and they have been given 30 days to comply with the order. It comes as the Trump administration looks to make sure truckers are properly vetted before they get on the road.
In Indiana, state troopers have a 37-point checklist they follow to ensure safety on the highways. They recently established a section of their force called the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division.
“Unfortunately, sometimes what happens is drivers come from foreign countries, and they continue to drive the way that they drove in a foreign country, and they continue to maintain their vehicle the way they maintained it down in a foreign country,” Indiana State Police Sgt. Dale Turner told NewsNation.
The division partnered with DHS for this initiative during the agency’s “Operation Midway Blitz” immigration enforcement. More than 250 people in the U.S. illegally were arrested, including 146 truck drivers on Indiana’s highways, with some not having a commercial driver’s license.
That problem is nationwide, as stories of crashes involving migrant drivers of 18-wheeler trucks continue to occur.
“Who’s responsible for passing out those CDLs? That’s who needs to be in jeopardy, who needs to be in trouble,” Joel Slatton, an 11-year truck driver, said. “Not the illegal immigrants who are trying to feed their families.”
NewsNation has learned that at least seven Indiana state troopers received powers that allow them to make immigration arrests as the crackdown on illegal immigrant drivers continues.