No one was more surprised to learn Tuesday that five Texas CDL schools were under investigation by the state Attorney General's Office than Zachary Delgado and Luz Rivera, who happen to operate two of the schools.
"Even if we were under investigation, I wouldn't have a problem with it because we're not self-certifying anybody," Fast Track CDL Operations Manager Zachary Delgado told CCJ, "and we're registered with the state, so I'm not sure what else would be an issue for us."
Luz Rivera, EP Texas Trucking examiner/director, told CCJ that prior to Attorney General Ken Paxton's announcement, "We had not received any formal notice or indication that our school was under investigation. We first became aware of the situation through the public announcement and subsequent media inquiries."
EP Texas Trucking School and Fast Track CDL stand accused, along with CDLCALL.COM, Trucker Certified, and Lindenwood Education System (Ancora), of certifying unqualified drivers and violating federal English-proficiency requirements.
In a statement emailed to CCJ, Ancora said it "strongly rejects any implication that its CDL programs certify unqualified drivers or disregard federal English-language requirements," and as of late Tuesday afternoon, Ancora had not received any communication or Civil Investigative Demand from the Texas Attorney General's Office "and is not aware of any allegations or compliance concerns the State of Texas Attorney General’s Office may have that are specific to Ancora."
State and federal laws require commercial driver's license holders to be able to read and speak English well enough to understand traffic signs, converse with the public, and respond to official inquiries. However, preliminary findings from Paxton’s office suggest some schools are bypassing these standards. The investigation also found that some schools may be operating under false claims of certification and offering "accelerated" 20-day training programs—significantly shorter than the industry standard of three to seven weeks.
Delgado noted his typical CDL coursework takes "an average of four to six weeks," but lacking English proficiency takes far longer.
"Anybody that comes to me that doesn't speak English, by the time they're done with me, it takes them about eight to 10 weeks to get their license because they have to learn English at least well enough to pass the exams with the state of Texas," he said. "I send all of my students through the Department of Public Safety (DPS) for testing right now because we're just now sending somebody in to get their third-party license."
Rivera said while her school is certified to administer CDL skills tests, it does not issue or authorize CDL licenses, adding that all applicants must apply for and obtain their CDL through the Texas DPS.
"We strictly follow all required protocols and regulatory procedures," she said. "While some students may complete their written examinations in Spanish, this is permitted under state guidelines and is outside the control of our institution. We provide basic English instruction classes on-site, and our instructors are bilingual to support student learning and comprehension. Additionally, students are required to demonstrate English proficiency during the skills testing portion, which includes the pre-trip inspection, basic control maneuvers, and the road test."
Ancora noted that it serves as the contracted CDL training provider for businesses and government agencies in Texas as well as six Texas community colleges, and that several Ancora partnership locations in multiple states, including Texas, had "zero findings of non-compliance" when reviewed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Safety Investigators in December 2025 as part of a nation-wide review of CDL training programs.
All Ancora's CDL training programs offered at South Texas Vocational Technical Institute locations operate under active approval from the Texas Workforce Commission and are included within each campus’s accreditation by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC). All Texas locations successfully completed ACCSC onsite evaluations last year.
Paxton, in his announcement, accused EP Trucking of advertising its services in Spanish, but Rivera countered that her school aims only "to communicate effectively with the communities we serve, including Spanish-speaking individuals.
"Our understanding is that there are currently no specific prohibitions against advertising in Spanish," she said. "However, we remain open to guidance and will fully comply with any regulations or standards provided by the appropriate authorities."
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy this year kicked off a crusade against "CDL mills," and the DOT has already dropped 7,000 CDL training providers from its registry in recent months, with thousands more having been placed on notice for potential removal. Delgado, Rivera, and Ancora say they are committed to not adding their schools to that list.
"I'm a very confident person in my business," Delgado said. "I've been doing this for seven years now with this business. And I'm certified with the FMCSA, I'm certified with the state of Texas, and I have no fear of taking this on."
Rivera acknowledged the concerns raised by the AG's office and said she takes them seriously, adding her school is committed to full compliance with all applicable state and federal standards and regulations.
"As a professional truck driver myself, I fully understand the importance of the English language in this industry. I have personally experienced being stopped by a DOT officer and being asked questions in English, including being asked to spell the state I was coming from," she said. "One of the first questions asked was whether I spoke English. These real-world interactions reinforce the necessity for drivers to be able to communicate effectively in English while operating in interstate and regulatory environments."
Ancora said it, too, intends to cooperate with the Texas Attorney General's Office and that it is "confident in the quality, compliance, and integrity of our CDL training programs."
CDLCALL.COM and Trucker Certified did not respond to CCJ for comment.
