Since President Donald Trump returned to office for his second term, the Department of Transportation (DOT) has modernized aging systems, cracked down on unsafe commercial drivers, cleared a massive grant backlog and reportedly claimed billions in taxpayer savings, moves the administration credits with putting the department in the fast lane.

"We're not going to invest in projects that don't deliver for the American people. We're going to invest in the projects that actually show that for the hard work of an American taxpayer, there's a deliverable for their money," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Just The News.

Modernizing the nation’s aging air traffic control system

For decades, the Federal Aviation Administration relied on outdated copper wiring and aging equipment that contributed to delays and safety risks. Duffy’s team secured $12.5 billion through the One Big Beautiful Bill to build a new system. 

Progress so far includes replacing one-third of copper infrastructure with fiber, satellite and wireless connections, installing more than 148 new radio systems and deploying surface awareness systems at 44 towers. Air traffic controller hiring has jumped 20% over the prior pace, with thousands of new trainees entering the pipeline, after airing an ad campaign that targeted video gamers, whose skills often overlap with those required to control America's air travel. 

"Air traffic controllers who had recently gotten out and been certified at our new towers, they had one common theme, which was almost all of them were gamers," Duffy said. 

He continued, "It kind of makes sense that a gamer is a problem solver. They're doing multiple things at the same time. They're multitasking. They have hand-eye coordination, which is a lot of what you do when you're an air traffic controller."

Cracking down on unqualified truck drivers

Unqualified and non-English-proficient commercial drivers, many of whom are illegal immigrants, have been linked to deadly crashes, including at least 17 fatal incidents and 30 deaths in 2025 involving non-domiciled license holders. Duffy’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration enforced English-language proficiency standards, rescinding earlier, much more relaxed rules and certification standards.

"They, in essence, reduced the rules on who could get a commercial driver's license. The last administration allowed a driving school to self-certify that they're qualified to train in skill and knowledge a truck driver. Well, we've shut down 8,000 of those schools because [...] they take money, but they don't produce anything. You can give the driving company 800 bucks, and they just sign off," Duffy told Just the News.

More than 28,000 illegally issued licenses have been revoked, over 11,500 drivers failing proficiency tests removed, and more than 6,800 unqualified training providers scrubbed from the registry. 

The agency withheld hundreds of millions from California and New York for noncompliance and finalized rules barring unqualified foreign drivers from non-domiciled CDLs. More than $300 million has also gone to truck parking grants to ease driver shortages. 

Clearing the grant backlog and moving infrastructure dollars

Duffy inherited roughly 3,200 unobligated grants left by the prior administration, a backlog that delayed projects nationwide. By stripping DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) and climate requirements from the process, the department has obligated funding for nearly half of them, sending about $9 billion out the door for roads, bridges and other core infrastructure. 

Additional investments include nearly $1 billion in retooled Safe Streets and Roads for All grants focused purely on safety, plus billions for rail upgrades and airport improvements.

Saving taxpayers billions and lowering vehicle costs

Duffy’s team reports roughly $14 billion in savings since inauguration through regulatory cuts — eliminating 600,000 words of rules — and canceling projects it called wasteful. The department terminated about $4 billion in unspent grants for California’s high-speed rail project, which after more than 15 years and $15 billion spent had laid no high-speed track and saw cost projections balloon past $100 billion. 

Separately, resetting Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards is projected to cut the average new vehicle price by about $1,000 for American families. 

Projects facing criticism for delays or cuts

Not every initiative has moved at the same speed. Democrats and mass transit advocates have criticized the administration for awarding no new Capital Investment Grants — the main federal program for major transit expansions — since early 2025. 

The Trump administration attempted to freeze already-awarded funds for projects including New York’s Gateway Tunnel and Chicago’s Red Line extension over contracting-rule concerns, but federal judges ordered the money released, and the funds were paid out in early 2026, allowing both projects to resume and advance. 

Separately, the Capital Investment Grants program has seen no new full funding agreements signed since the administration took office, with OMB actions designating more than $5 billion in appropriated funds for the next fiscal year and thereby limiting their use for new transit awards this year.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

California officials continue to dispute the high-speed rail funding termination, calling it politically motivated, though the state later dropped related litigation.

Overall, Duffy’s record reflects a sharp pivot toward deregulation, enforcement and traditional infrastructure. Whether the gains hold and the criticized gaps close will shape the next phase of the Trump transportation agenda.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​