Growing concerns about highway safety and the enforcement of commercial driver training standards were the focus of a wide-ranging discussion on Chicago’s Morning Answer, as guest host Chris Krok spoke with Andy Poliakoff, executive director of the Commercial Vehicle Training Association. The interview centered on the dangers posed by improperly trained truck drivers, the rise of so-called CDL mills, and renewed federal efforts to crack down on unsafe practices in the trucking industry.
Poliakoff emphasized the sheer risk associated with commercial vehicles, noting that fully loaded tractor-trailers can weigh up to 80,000 pounds and become deadly when operated by drivers lacking proper training. He said recent fatal crashes across the country have brought long-simmering problems into the public eye, particularly cases involving drivers who allegedly should never have been licensed to operate commercial vehicles in the first place.
According to Poliakoff, the industry has struggled for years with the proliferation of training operations that promise commercial driver’s licenses after only a few days of instruction. These operations, often referred to as CDL mills, undermine legitimate training programs that require comprehensive classroom and behind-the-wheel instruction. He said these mills have flourished despite federal Entry-Level Driver Training regulations that have technically been in place for nearly four years but were rarely enforced.
That enforcement gap, Poliakoff argued, has begun to close only recently. He credited leadership at the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration with launching the first large-scale, in-person audits of training facilities nationwide. In early December, federal inspectors conducted more than 1,500 on-site audits, an effort Poliakoff described as unprecedented and long overdue. He said legitimate training schools generally passed inspections, while questionable operations quickly attempted to shut down or evade scrutiny.
The interview also touched on concerns about licensing practices at the state level. Poliakoff said federal audits of state driver licensing agencies have uncovered serious lapses, including cases in which long-term commercial licenses were issued to individuals whose legal authorization to remain in the country was expired or near expiration. He said these findings have led to heightened tensions between federal regulators and certain states, as well as threats to withhold federal transportation funding if standards such as English language proficiency are not properly enforced.
Poliakoff rejected the notion that trucking is a job Americans are unwilling to do, calling it a stable and well-paying career that plays a critical role in the national economy. He said qualified drivers can earn solid wages within their first year and build long-term careers, but that irresponsible licensing and hiring practices can undercut wages and erode safety. Allowing unqualified drivers on the road, he said, harms both professional truckers and the public at large.
While acknowledging that progress has been slow, Poliakoff expressed cautious optimism that increased transparency and enforcement could finally bring meaningful change. He said sustained oversight, rather than paperwork and databases alone, is essential to restoring confidence in the system. Without continued pressure and accountability, he warned, the same dangerous conditions that have contributed to recent tragedies could persist.
The conversation underscored a broader theme echoed throughout the program: that public safety depends not just on laws and regulations, but on the willingness of government agencies to actively enforce them. As Poliakoff noted, recent federal actions suggest that long-standing problems in the trucking industry may finally be receiving the attention they demand.