Article Credits: Real Reform Louisiana

This week, the Trump administration announced that more than 550 sham CDL training schools found in violation of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)’s standards of safety received notices of proposed removal from FMCSA’s national training provider registry.

For years in Louisiana, multi-billion-dollar insurers and trucking interests have worked hand in hand to pressure the legislature to weaken the legal rights of everyday drivers. They repeatedly blamed “excessive litigation” for rising insurance rates — a convenient narrative that served as a red herring to justify stripping citizens of long-standing legal protections while protecting industry profits.

Commissioner Temple and industry lobbyists have consistently portrayed the trucking industry as the true victim—even as many trucking companies were cutting corners on safety, ignoring basic standards, and putting innocent motorists in harm’s way. The result has been a system tilted toward insurance giants and big corporate interests, leaving Louisiana drivers with fewer rights and limited recourse when they are seriously injured by unsafe trucking practices.

That era of lax enforcement and regulatory capture is now facing increasing pushback — and from both sides of the aisle.

At the federal level, President Trump is moving aggressively to crack down on unsafe and illegal practices in the commercial trucking sector. In a major enforcement action, over 550 commercial driving schools that failed to meet basic safety and training standards have been identified for removal from the national training registry. The review found problems, including unqualified instructors, inadequate testing, and unsafe training facilities — all contributing to a system that let unprepared drivers behind the wheel of dangerous vehicles on our highways.

Safer roads equal savings for Louisiana drivers. When roads are safer, there are fewer accidents, and fewer accidents mean lower insurance costs. Louisiana has struggled to bring auto insurance rates down for decades, but after recent rate decreases, Commissioner Temple noted the primary driver was safer road conditions, saying it was "fewer claims and therefore lower costs," not recent tort reforms that gutted drivers' legal rights.

Similarly, tightening safety regulations in the trucking industry will result in safer roads and should lead to fewer claims and lower insurance rates. Moreover these moves reflect bipartisan concern, led by President Trump, to address unsafe road conditions and to hold the trucking industry accountable.

Here in Louisiana, we should follow suit, refocus our efforts on making our roads safer, strengthening consumer protections, and protecting the legal rights of Louisiana citizens. That means demanding strong safety standards, resisting industry efforts to weaken legal recourse for injured drivers, and holding regulators and lawmakers accountable.

Louisiana families deserve better — safer roads and the full protection of the law.