Attorney General Ken Paxton issues Civil Investigative Demands targeting schools accused of certifying unqualified drivers — part of a sweeping national crackdown that every trucking professional needs to understand.
In a sweeping enforcement action that is sending shockwaves across the commercial trucking industry, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched a statewide investigation into several truck driving schools, accusing them of endangering the public by providing fraudulent and inadequate commercial driver’s license (CDL) training — including training non-English-speaking students in direct violation of state and federal law.
As part of the investigation, Paxton’s office has issued Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs) — powerful legal instruments that compel businesses to produce documents and records — to five companies operating across Texas. The probe marks one of the most significant state-level crackdowns on CDL training fraud to date, and arrives amid a coordinated national effort by the federal government to clean up what officials have described as a dangerously unregulated corner of the trucking industry.
⚠ Breaking Development
The Texas Attorney General’s Office has described the alleged conduct as a violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, warning it “poses a significant risk to public safety” and pledging to take “all necessary action” against the schools involved.
The Five Schools Under the Microscope
The Civil Investigative Demands were sent to the following businesses: EP Texas Trucking School (operating out of Odessa and El Paso); Trucker Certified LLC (with locations in Pampa, Amarillo, Plainview, and Borger); Fast Track CDL LLC (based in Garland); CDLCALL.COM LLC (operating in the Houston and San Antonio areas); and Lindenwood Education System, known commercially as Ancora, headquartered in Arlington.
Together, these schools span some of Texas’s largest commercial trucking corridors and freight hubs. The Attorney General’s office specifically noted that graduates from these schools “likely” go on to work for trucking companies across the state, including in major freight centers like Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston.
The Core Allegations: What Are These Schools Accused Of?
The investigation centers on three main areas of alleged misconduct, each of which represents a serious breach of both state and federal regulations.
1. English Language Proficiency (ELP) Violations
Federal law is unambiguous: CDL holders must be able to read and speak English well enough to converse with the general public, understand highway traffic signs and signals in English, respond to official inquiries, and make entries on reports and records. This requirement is codified under federal regulations and has been vigorously enforced at the national level since 2025.
The Attorney General’s preliminary findings suggest that at least one school — EP Texas Trucking School — has explicitly told prospective students that English proficiency is not required to complete the program. The school reportedly advertises its services in Spanish, raising questions about whether students are being adequately prepared to meet the federal ELP standard required of all commercial drivers on U.S. roads.
“Putting non-English speakers behind the wheel of 18-wheelers in America can pose serious threats to public safety. My office is thoroughly investigating these trucking schools, and I am taking this matter very seriously.”— Attorney General Ken Paxton
2. False Claims of Certification
Several schools under investigation are accused of falsely claiming to be certified training providers. Under both Texas law and federal regulations administered by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), CDL training providers must be properly registered on the national Training Provider Registry (TPR) and must meet specific curriculum, facility, and instructor qualification standards. Falsely claiming certification is not only deceptive to students — it is a violation of consumer protection law.
3. Accelerated “Crash Course” Training Programs
Some of the schools under investigation allegedly advertise training timelines as short as 20 days — well below the industry-recognized standard of three to seven weeks of training required to adequately prepare a student to safely operate a commercial motor vehicle. The attorney general’s office says these accelerated timelines indicate insufficient instruction and evaluation, putting unqualified drivers on public roads.
Know Your Rights as a CDL Student
Before enrolling in any CDL school in Texas or any other state, verify that the school is listed on the FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry at tpr.fmcsa.dot.gov. Unregistered schools cannot legally certify CDL graduates, and students who train at such schools may be ineligible to obtain their commercial license.
Schools Push Back: Not Everyone Has Received the CIDs
In a notable development, at least some of the named schools say they have not yet actually received the Civil Investigative Demands, despite being publicly named in the Attorney General’s press release. Ancora (Lindenwood Education System), for example, issued a statement noting that as of late April 2026, it had not received any communication or CID from the Texas AG’s office, and was not aware of any specific compliance concerns directed at it.
Ancora also pointed out that it is not only registered with the FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry but also with the Texas Workforce Commission — suggesting it meets at least the baseline regulatory requirements. EP Texas Trucking School and Trucker Certified have similarly indicated they had not received formal demands, raising questions about the procedural status of the investigation at the time of the public announcement.
These discrepancies between the public announcement and the schools’ reported experiences have fueled debate within the industry about the investigation’s scope and rollout.
The National Context: A Federal Crackdown Already Underway
The Texas investigation does not exist in a vacuum. It is part of a much broader federal crackdown on CDL fraud and inadequate driver training that has been building momentum since early 2025 under U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
Since taking office, Secretary Duffy has made trucking safety a signature priority, describing the industry as having previously operated “like the Wild, Wild West, where anything goes and nobody asks any questions.” The Department of Transportation has already removed more than 6,800 unqualified training providers from the FMCSA’s national registry and placed thousands more on notice for potential removal following a nationwide compliance review that found widespread violations, including falsified training data, inadequate instruction, and missing documentation.
Additionally, the DOT conducted Operation SafeDRIVE — a multi-state inspection blitz that checked more than 8,200 commercial drivers and pulled over 700 out of service. Of those, nearly 500 were cited specifically for failing to meet English proficiency standards.
In February 2026, Secretary Duffy went further, announcing that all CDL testing nationwide would move to an English-only format — ending a practice in many states of offering examinations in multiple languages. By that point, more than 20,000 truckers had already been removed from service for failing to meet basic English language proficiency requirements, and more than 28,000 illegally issued CDLs had been revoked.
Texas Attorney General Paxton’s investigation appears to be a direct extension of this federal momentum at the state level — a signal that state governments are now taking their own independent enforcement steps alongside federal action.
What This Means for the South Asian Trucking Community
For the Punjabi and broader South Asian trucking community — one of the most vital and fast-growing segments of the American trucking workforce — this enforcement wave carries significant implications that demand careful attention.
Many South Asian truckers are highly qualified professionals who earned their CDLs through rigorous, legitimate programs and have built decades-long careers characterized by safety and professionalism. This community has been a cornerstone of American freight logistics, and the overwhelming majority of South Asian owner-operators and company drivers are fully compliant with all applicable regulations.
However, the current enforcement climate means that all truckers — especially those who are newer to the industry or trained at smaller or newer schools — need to ensure their credentials and training documentation are in complete order. Roadside inspectors are actively checking English proficiency, and FMCSA investigators are auditing training provider records.
There is also a concern within immigrant communities that the crackdown, while ostensibly about safety, is being applied in ways that disproportionately impact non-native English speakers. The legal standard — that a CDL holder must be able to communicate adequately in English for safety purposes — is longstanding, but its aggressive enforcement is new, and the consequences for non-compliance are immediate and severe.
Dalilah’s Law: Congressional Action on the Horizon
At the federal legislative level, Congress is also moving to codify many of the DOT’s executive actions. A bill known as Dalilah’s Law — named after a six-year-old girl left with life-altering injuries in a crash involving an improperly licensed commercial driver — has advanced out of committee. The legislation would formally require English language proficiency for all CDL holders, strengthen certification requirements for CDL training providers, and increase carrier accountability standards, making it harder for “CDL mills” to operate.
If passed, Dalilah’s Law would codify many of the current enforcement priorities, making them permanent and harder to roll back under future administrations.
What Truckers and Owner-Operators Should Do Right Now
Whether you are an experienced owner-operator or a new entrant to the industry, the current regulatory climate demands proactive attention to compliance. Punjabi Trucking Magazine strongly encourages all readers to take the following steps.
First, verify that your CDL was issued by a school that is currently listed in good standing on the FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry. If your school has been removed from the registry, consult with a transportation attorney about your options. Second, be prepared to demonstrate English language proficiency during roadside inspections — this is now actively checked and can result in immediate removal from service if you cannot meet the standard. Third, if you are considering enrolling in a CDL training program, research the school thoroughly, confirm its registration status, and be wary of any program promising completion in under three weeks or suggesting that English is not required.
Finally, if you believe you have been misled by a CDL training school — whether about English requirements, certification status, or training timelines — you may have legal recourse under state consumer protection laws, including the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. Document everything and consider consulting with an attorney.
