The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is deploying every tool at its disposal to purge bad actors and unsafe practices from America’s roads.
Driven by executive orders to restore law and order, a recent flurry of agency actions—including a historic crackdown on electronic logging devices (ELDs), frontline enforcement sweeps, deep-dive crash data research, and a modernized public reporting portal—highlights a broad offensive against commercial fraud and highway hazards. Whether yanking fraudulent tracking tech, crowdsourcing tips on sketchy brokers, or pulling unqualified drivers from the cab, the overarching mission is consistent. “When criminal activity and unsafe vehicles creep onto our highways, it puts everyone at risk,” FMCSA Administrator Derek D. Barrs said in a news release, emphasizing the agency’s commitment to protecting drivers and clearing out threats.
Crackdown on fraudulent ELDs
In its latest move to protect American truckers and stop fraud, Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said FMCSA removed 133 illegal ELDs from its Registered Devices List, marking the largest revocation in the agency’s history. The action removes 121 agency-revoked devices and 12 voluntary self-revocations that failed to meet federal readiness standards.
During extensive forensic investigations, FMCSA uncovered severe abuses, including providers allowing carriers to manually wipe out driving time, companies actively uploading fake logs during roadside inspections, and logs displaying mathematically impossible driving speeds of up to 130 mph to compress time.
“This latest crackdown—which required hundreds of man hours and extensive forensic investigations—will prevent criminals from cooking the books, sabotaging trucker wages, and endangering you and your family when you drive,” Duffy maintained.
Motor carriers have 60 days to replace the revoked units with compliant ELDs.
Safety officials will begin placing drivers out of service for using the revoked devices on Nov. 24.
Operation Highway Shield results
In its third wave of targeted enforcement, FMCSA’s “Operation Highway Shield” recently concluded a 48-hour multiagency sweep in Arkansas that resulted in 393 drivers and vehicles being placed out of service. Partnering with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Arkansas Highway Police, inspectors focused heavily on unqualified drivers and criminal activity. The blitz uncovered 183 English Language Proficiency (ELP) violations and 74 immigration violations, while also resulting in 44 criminal arrests and the recovery of a stolen trailer.'
“Gone are the days of dangerous—and many times illegal and foreign—drivers putting American lives at risk on our roads,” Duffy stated following the Arkansas operation.
This localized push reflects an ongoing national crackdown. Since April 2025, the government has dramatically reduced illegal capacity on U.S. roads, placing 34,000 drivers out of service for failing to speak basic English or read road signs. Furthermore, federal authorities have revoked more than 31,000 illegally issued commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) held by unvetted foreign drivers and shut down nearly 10,000 commercial driving schools associated with fraudulent training.
Heavy-duty truck crash study funding
To better understand the root causes of fatal accidents, FMCSA is also investing in data collection. The agency recently announced it is accepting applications for the Crash Causal Factors Program (CCFP) Cooperative Agreement Program, which will provide up to $7 million in competitive funding to support the CCFP Heavy-Duty Truck Study.
With individual awards capped at $500,000, this one-time funding opportunity will finance critical data collection efforts surrounding fatal crashes involving Class 7 or 8 heavy-duty trucks, FMCSA stated. Eligible state and local law enforcement agencies can use the funds to cover the costs of post-crash commercial motor vehicle inspections, crash reconstructions, investigations, and reporting equipment.
The resulting anonymized data will feed into a national repository, helping researchers and safety advocates develop more effective crash countermeasures. Applications for the cooperative agreement will be accepted through Dec. 28.
Upgraded Complaint Center reporting
As part of DOT’s Pro-Trucker Package, FMCSA also launched an enhanced FMCSA Complaint Center. Formerly known as the National Consumer Complaint Database, the newly redesigned platform makes it easier for industry professionals, drivers, and the public to report violations.
The updated system features an overhauled user interface and an improved search tool. It also introduces expanded complaint categories covering property brokers, the Entry-Level Driver Training/Training Provider Registry, intermodal equipment providers, and registration-related fraud and identity theft.
By modernizing the submission process, FMCSA hopes to quickly identify emerging threats and hold bad actors accountable before they cause harm on the nation’s roadways.
