FMCSA Reveals the Audit Behind Its CDL School Removals: Graduates Later Failed English Checks

In its first written defenses, the agency says an August audit matched roadside English-proficiency violations to the schools that certified the drivers; three more schools are now fighting removal.

FMCSA's Office of Safety Programs told the agency's Chief Safety Officer on Sept. 29 how it chose the driver training schools it has been throwing off the Training Provider Registry: an August audit that matched drivers cited at roadside for English-language-proficiency violations to the schools that had certified their entry-level training. The explanation appears in the office's written responses in two removal cases, filed the same day the Chief Safety Officer opened proceedings in two more and a fifth school filed its own petition.

According to the response in docket FMCSA-2026-3070, the agency during August 2026 "examined the inspection reports for drivers who were cited or placed out-of-service for an English Language Proficiency violation and then used the driver data and TPR data to determine which training providers certified ELDT for those specific drivers." Under 49 CFR 391.11(b)(2), a driver who cannot read and speak English well enough to understand traffic signs, respond to officials and complete records is not qualified to drive in interstate commerce.

For MT Training Center LLC, the audit found 13 driver-trainees whose entry-level training the school had certified were later cited for one or more English-proficiency violations. The Office Director served a Notice of Emergency Removal on Aug. 31 under 49 U.S.C. 31305(c)(5) and 49 CFR 380.723(e), citing two grounds: that public safety required immediate removal, and that the school had shown "willful disregard" of Part 380. The agency's theory is that certifying training for drivers who did not meet the English standard is a "material deficiency," that the school's theory curriculum failed to adequately instruct non-English-speaking trainees about the requirement, and that behind-the-wheel trainees must certify they will meet the driver qualification standards, including English. The response concedes the regulations do not require training to be delivered in English, and acknowledges an "administrative error" put the wrong registry ID on the notice's spreadsheet, while maintaining every driver listed was trained by MT.

MT petitioned on Sept. 15 for a stay, immediate reinstatement and dismissal; the Chief Safety Officer ordered the response on Sept. 18.

The parallel response in docket FMCSA-2026-3037 concerns Remsense Inc., doing business as Luma Brighter Learning, an online theory provider offering Class A and B theory plus hazardous materials, passenger and school bus endorsement courses. The audit found 85 of its certified trainees were later cited for English-proficiency violations. Luma was also removed Aug. 31.

The fifth school, Elegant E-Learning Inc., which operates Driving-Tests.org, filed a petition posted Sept. 29 in docket FMCSA-2026-3301. The company says it has been an online theory-only provider since Jan. 3, 2022, and has issued more than 41,000 training certifications. Its notice of removal, it says, alleged inadequate English-proficiency training for 220 students but was supported by 40 "unverified" state roadside inspection reports, for drivers trained between March 9, 2023, and Oct. 13, 2025, and inspected between July 2, 2025, and July 17, 2026. The company argues nothing in Part 380 obliges a training provider to assess a trainee's English, that FMCSA itself acknowledges instruction need not be in English, and that an FMCSA investigation of the company in February 2026, which it says stemmed from a fatal crash involving a former student, never produced a finding. It asks for a stay, reinstatement and dismissal.

Also on Sept. 29, Chief Safety Officer Steven Dowling ordered the Office Director to respond within 10 days to petitions filed Sept. 1 by EZ Wheels Driving School Inc. of Union City, New Jersey (docket FMCSA-2026-3239) and CDL Direct LLC of El Paso, Texas (docket FMCSA-2026-3237).

What it means

The agency has turned roadside English-proficiency enforcement into a compliance test for training providers: if drivers you certified are later placed out of service for English, your registry listing is at risk, with removal first and review after. The dispute now before the Chief Safety Officer is whether Part 380 requires a provider to ensure a trainee's English proficiency or only to teach the requirement, and online theory providers that certify thousands of students a year have the most exposure. Carriers should expect more schools to drop off the registry while these cases run.

What's next

The Chief Safety Officer will rule on the stay and reinstatement requests in the MT Training Center and Luma dockets now that the agency has responded. The Office Director's responses in the EZ Wheels and CDL Direct cases are due about Oct. 9, and the Driving-Tests.org petition awaits a scheduling order. All filings are public on Regulations.gov under the docket numbers.

Sources

• Other: In the Matter of MT Training Center, LLC - Director of the Office of Safety Programs Response to Order on Petitioner's Petition for Administrative Review of Emergency Removal from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's Entry Level Driver Training Provider Registry and Request for Stay — Regulations.gov (FMCSA), 2026-09-29

• Other: In the Matter of Remsense, Inc. dba Luma Brighter Learning - Director of the Office of Safety Programs Response to Order on Petitioner's Petition for Administrative Review of Emergency Removal from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's Entry Level Driver Training Provider Registry and Request for Stay — Regulations.gov (FMCSA), 2026-09-29

• Other: In the Matter of EZ Wheels Driving School, Inc. - Order Requiring Response to Petition for Administrative Review of Emergency Removal from Training Provider Registry — Regulations.gov (FMCSA), 2026-09-29

• Other: In the Matter of CDL Direct, LLC - Order Requiring Response to Petition for Administrative Review of Emergency Removal from Training Provider Registry — Regulations.gov (FMCSA), 2026-09-29

• Other: In the Matter of Elegant E-Learning Inc. dba Driving-Tests.org - Request for Administrative Review, Request for Stay of Emergency Notice, and Request for Immediate Reinstatement on FMCSA's Training Provider Registry — Regulations.gov (FMCSA), 2026-09-29