FMCSA's Third Highway Shield Sweep Pulls 393 From Arkansas Roads
FMCSA ran the third wave of Operation Highway Shield in Arkansas, conducting 1,724 inspections in 48 hours with Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Arkansas Highway Police. The agency said inspectors placed 393 drivers and vehicles out of service, logged 183 English Language Proficiency violations, referred 74 people for federal immigration enforcement, made 44 criminal arrests, and recovered one stolen trailer.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs framed the sweep as part of a continuing crackdown. FMCSA said the first wave removed 176 drivers, with 54 tied to language deficiencies and 77 arrests or detentions. The second wave, run across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Ohio, pulled 766 drivers and vehicles from service and recovered $1 million in stolen cargo.
FMCSA also said that since an April 2025 executive order on trucking industry integrity, it has taken 33,000 drivers out of service for English or sign-reading deficiencies, revoked 31,000 licenses issued to unvetted foreign drivers, and shut down nearly 10,000 driving schools, including 110 removed in August tied to more than 5,000 drivers who failed English tests.
What's next
- No date given for a fourth wave or additional states; watch FMCSA's newsroom for the next Highway Shield announcement.
All sources
- OPERATION HIGHWAY SHIELD: Trump’s Transportation Department Yanks More Than 300 Dangerous Truckers, Illegals off U.S. Roads | FMCSA — Government site: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (.gov), 2026-11-04
