The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has put in writing what critics of its registry have been saying for years. In an emergency request to the White House Office of Management and Budget, the agency states that when a training provider 'is issued a Notice of Emergency Removal, they are able to log on to the TPR, self-certify with new training provider information, and thus be listed again on the TPR and continue to perpetuate fraud.' If the new email and address do not match the removed provider, 'these bad actors return under a new name.' FMCSA's answer is an emergency information collection, reference number 202609-2126-001, titled 'Strengthening the Standards for Initial Listing on the Training Provider Registry.' It was submitted to OMB on September 21, 2026 with approval requested by September 25. Reginfo.gov still listed its status as 'Received in OIRA' on October 14. Overdrive's Alex Lockie reported the filing on October 13.
What the emergency request would require
Today a school gets onto the Training Provider Registry by self-certifying online that it meets the entry-level driver training rules in 49 CFR Part 380. Under the request, FMCSA would collect five sets of documents from every new applicant, and again every time an existing provider adds a location: lesson plans for theory and behind-the-wheel training on the range and the public road; proof that training vehicles are compliant, including that they are the same group and type the trainee will use on the CDL skills test; instructor qualification records with copies of the CDLs and endorsements held by behind-the-wheel and theory instructors; proof that the provider is licensed, certified or otherwise authorized to train under the laws of any state where it trains in person; and documentation of the facilities used for in-person training under 49 CFR 380.709. 'The documents collected will be reviewed for compliance prior to training providers being listed in the TPR,' the filing says. FMCSA estimates 2,000 responses and 1,000 hours of paperwork a year and asks for a six-month emergency approval, which skips the usual public comment rounds. The agency says it 'cannot wait for the rulemaking process' because the public harm is 'having noncompliant training providers certifying drivers as meeting the training standards for operating a commercial motor vehicle when those drivers have not done so.' A full rulemaking, RIN 2126-AD00, is listed as the long-term fix; its proposed rule has not been published.
How the August shutdown exposed the loophole
The registry opened in February 2022 and runs on self-certification. Steve Gold, CEO of 160 Driving Academy, told FreightWaves in December 2025 that roughly 2,100 CDL schools held state licenses while the federal registry then listed about 35,000 providers. In its August 31 announcement of the Joint Task Force Crossroads of America, the Department of Transportation said it had purged more than 8,000 training providers from the registry in the previous year and a half. That same day FMCSA ordered the emergency removal of 110 schools (its release says 'more than 110'), each of which had trained at least 10 drivers later cited for English-language proficiency violations, more than 5,000 such drivers in total, and announced more than 160 notices of proposed removal that came out of nearly 400 investigations by 175 investigators in 40 states in July. Homeland Security Investigations launched a synchronized surge at more than 200 driving schools across 23 states the same day. Then the pushback started. According to Overdrive, Soler & Soler CDL School in Miami, one of the 110, had passed an FMCSA audit weeks earlier, fought the removal and has been reinstated; in making its case, the owner pointed out that he could simply register a new school under the self-certification rules. Start CDL Inc. of Cinnaminson, New Jersey sued the agency in federal court on October 2, and FreightWaves reported that the exhibits to its complaint show a six-driver spreadsheet naming a different provider, roadside reports on 10 other drivers, and a scanned version of the notice carrying a third school's name; the filing does not explain whether those are attachment errors or something else. FMCSA's emergency filing describes the same problem from the other side: bad actors 'will report hundreds of "completed" theory and behind the wheel training that led to commercial vehicle licenses across the country, despite never conducting the training.'
Why 'chameleon' is the right word
The pattern is the one trucking already knows from chameleon carriers: a company that is shut down reappears under a new name, new address and new DOT number, and the enforcement record starts from zero. FMCSA's filing says the removed schools 'begin reporting under the same fraudulent, criminal, or willful disregard as was discovered in their original business model until discovered through state non-compliance, operations, or complaints.' Administrator Derek Barrs has said he wants to end self-certification across the agency, for training providers, for ELD makers and for medical examiners. For ELDs the agency has already started vetting new registrations; this request would do the same for training providers.
What it means for schools, students and carriers
If OMB signs off
New schools: no listing until FMCSA has reviewed your lesson plans, truck paperwork, instructor CDLs, state license and facility records. Expect a wait between applying and enrolling your first federally recognized student.
Existing schools adding a location: the same package is required for the new site. A second range or classroom is no longer a form field.
Schools that were removed: the filing is aimed squarely at re-registration under a new name. The point of collecting documents is to make a repeat registration under a new name visible.
Students: check the registry before paying. Only a listed provider can submit the training certification your state needs to issue a CDL.
Carriers: FMCSA matched the 110 removed schools to their graduates' roadside records. Knowing which provider trained the drivers you hire is now part of due diligence.
Everyone: an emergency approval lasts six months. The permanent version comes through the RIN 2126-AD00 rulemaking, which will have a comment period.
FMCSA has spent the past year and a half removing schools from the registry by the thousand. Its own filing concedes that without checking documents up front, the removals can be undone with a new email address. Whether OMB grants the six-month emergency approval, and how quickly, decides whether the next round of removals sticks.
FMCSA rules, before they reach the roadside
Training, licensing, English proficiency, ELDs and out-of-service criteria, explained for drivers, schools and small fleets.