Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Monday that the Department of Transportation (DOT) is shutting down more than 110 driving schools across the country. The decision follows an internal investigation which found that these schools had issued driver’s licenses to over 5,000 individuals despite those applicants failing mandatory English language proficiency (ELP) exams.

The DOT stated that the shutdown is a necessary measure to ensure public safety and regulatory compliance. According to the department, the schools bypassed established protocols by granting credentials to students who did not meet the linguistic requirements set forth by federal and state transportation guidelines. The move effectively halts operations at these facilities while the department conducts further audits.

While the DOT has framed the action as a crackdown on fraudulent licensing practices, the announcement has raised questions regarding the oversight of driving schools and the specific criteria used for ELP testing. The department has not yet released the names of the specific schools affected, nor has it provided a timeline for potential appeals or the status of the licenses already issued to the 5,000 individuals in question. The situation remains developing as the DOT continues its review of licensing records nationwide.