Attorney General Ken Paxton has opened an investigation into numerous trucking schools for endangering Texans by providing inadequate commercial driver training, including to non-English speakers, in violation of state and federal law.
As part of the investigation, Attorney General Paxton has sent Civil Investigative Demands (“CIDs”) to the following companies: EP Texas Trucking School (“EP Trucking”), Trucker Certified LLC (“Trucker Certified”), Fast Track CDL LLC (“Fast Track”), CDLCALL.COM LLC (“CDLCALL”), and Lindenwood Education System (“Ancora”).
Federal regulations require commercial driver’s license (“CDL”) holders to “read and speak the English language sufficiently 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.” Additionally, Texas and federal law mandates that CDL training providers ensure students are adequately prepared to safely operate commercial motor vehicles in compliance with all applicable safety standards.
Preliminary findings suggest that certain schools are disregarding these requirements. For example, EP Trucking tells prospective students that English proficiency is not necessary to complete the program and advertises its services in Spanish. Several entities under investigation have also falsely claimed to be a certified school. Additionally, some programs advertise accelerated training timelines that are as short as approximately 20 days, which is well below the industry norm of three to seven weeks. Actions such as these indicate insufficient instruction and evaluation.
These actions, among others, are violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and pose a significant risk to public safety. The Office of the Attorney General will take all necessary action to ensure CDL students are protected from fraudulent trucking schools and that Texans are protected from the dangers posed by unqualified drivers.
“Putting non-English speakers behind the wheel of 18-wheelers in America can pose serious threats to public safety,” said Attorney General Paxton. “My office is thoroughly investigating these trucking schools, and I am taking this matter very seriously. I will fight to ensure that Texans are safe and that only qualified, English-speaking truckers are operating commercial vehicles on our roads.”
EP Texas Trucking School has physical locations in Odessa and El Paso. Trucker Certified has locations in Pampa, Amarillo, Plainview, and Borger. Fast Track CDL is located in Garland. CDLCALL operates in San Antonio and Ancora has a main office in Arlington. These schools also likely send graduates to trucking companies across the state, including major freight hubs such as Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston.
Article source and photo credit: Texas Attorney General
