Washington, D.C. Aug. 10, 2026.
By Tim O’friel
Federal transportation and homeland security officials say a three-day commercial vehicle enforcement operation across four Midwestern states resulted in hundreds of drivers and vehicles being placed out of service, dozens of arrests and immigration detentions, and the recovery of nearly $1 million in stolen cargo.
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the results of the second phase of Operation Highway Shield, conducted July 28 through July 30 in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Ohio.
According to USDOT, the coordinated enforcement effort involved the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and state law enforcement agencies.
Federal officials said 766 commercial drivers and vehicles were placed out of service during the operation.
Authorities also detained 51 undocumented immigrants, including 21 drivers who were reportedly operating with non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses issued by California and New York.
Another 86 commercial vehicle operators were arrested for alleged criminal conduct, including offenses involving road rage and domestic violence.
Inspectors also cited 36 drivers for English Language Proficiency violations, while authorities reported recovering nearly $1 million in stolen cargo.
Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said the operation is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to remove unsafe and improperly qualified commercial drivers from the nation’s highways.
FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs said investigators are also focusing on trucking-related fraud, including manipulated logbooks, questionable dispatch operations and drivers who may not meet federal qualification requirements.
Operation Highway Shield was first launched in Florida earlier this year. According to USDOT, the initial Florida operation involved more than 3,300 commercial vehicle inspections and resulted in 176 drivers being placed out of service, including 54 for English-language deficiencies.
Federal officials also reported 35 criminal-related arrests and 42 people taken into federal immigration custody during the Florida operation.
The latest enforcement action comes as the federal government continues increasing scrutiny of commercial driver qualifications, non-domiciled CDLs and English Language Proficiency requirements.
Duffy has also announced an effort to formally codify the English-proficiency requirement into federal regulation as the administration continues its broader enforcement campaign targeting unsafe drivers, fraudulent licensing practices and other violations within the commercial trucking industry.
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation.
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