Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has broadened enforcement actions across transportation and supply chain-linked sectors, launching parallel investigations into commercial driver training schools while also issuing a formal warning to CVS Health over its supplier diversity and procurement policies.
The coordinated measures reflect growing scrutiny at both state and federal levels over commercial driver qualification standards, English-language proficiency enforcement, and the role of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) frameworks in supply chain contracting decisions.
CVS warned over supplier diversity programme
In one of the latest developments, Paxton’s office confirmed it had issued a formal warning letter to CVS Health regarding its supplier diversity framework within procurement and supply chain operations.
According to the attorney general’s office, CVS allocates a portion of its contracts to suppliers selected on demographic criteria, including minority-owned, women-owned, and LGBTQ-owned businesses. Authorities argue that such practices “may violate state and federal civil rights laws” and could expose the company to liability under the Texas Health Care Program Fraud Prevention Act, given CVS’s status as a Medicaid pharmacy provider.
CVS has been given 14 days to respond and outline the steps it has taken to ensure compliance with state and federal anti-discrimination regulations.
The company operates a large-scale logistics network comprising more than 22 distribution centres and a fleet of 2,500 delivery vehicles across the United States, supporting over 9,000 retail stores, pharmacy services, and e-commerce operations, according to its corporate disclosures.
A 2016 report previously indicated that CVS Health’s supplier diversity initiatives supported more than 21,145 jobs across its supply chain at the time.
CDL training schools under investigation
The CVS warning follows a separate enforcement action launched on April 28, when Texas authorities opened an investigation into several commercial driver training schools over alleged non-compliance with federal safety requirements, including English-language proficiency standards.
The schools under investigation include:
EP Texas Trucking School
Trucker Certified LLC
Fast Track CDL LLC
CDLCALL.COM LLC
Lindenwood Education System (also known as Ancora)
Federal regulations require CDL holders to “read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, understand highway traffic signs and signals in English, respond to official inquiries, and make entries on reports and records,” according to Paxton’s office.
State investigators allege that some schools may have failed to meet these requirements, including through marketing programmes aimed at non-English speakers, accelerated training pathways, and allegedly inaccurate claims regarding certification status.
The institutions operate across key Texas freight corridors, including El Paso, Odessa, San Antonio, Garland and Arlington, with graduates feeding into major logistics hubs such as Dallas–Fort Worth and Houston.
EP Texas Trucking School responded by stating: “We are aware of the concerns raised and take them seriously. Our school is committed to full compliance with all applicable state and federal standards and regulations.”
Wider regulatory tightening in trucking
On September 30, the Texas Department of Public Safety announced it had suspended the issuance of commercial driver’s licences to noncitizens following a federal directive aimed at tightening licensing requirements.
The agency confirmed it would no longer issue, renew, or reissue CDLs for refugees, asylees, or recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), with pending applications and testing also suspended until further notice.
A non-domiciled CDL refers to a commercial licence issued to individuals who are not permanent residents of the state or country but are legally authorised to work in the United States.
Texas has issued more non-domiciled CDLs than any other state since 2015 among jurisdictions reporting data, according to a report by Overdrive.
Since 2015, the state has issued more than 3.2 million CDLs in total, including 51,993 non-domiciled licences. In 2024 alone, Texas issued 6,265 CDLs to noncitizens, underscoring the scale of workforce inflows into the state’s logistics and trucking sectors
