Roughly 10 percent of the companies that took part in Chicago’s Hired Truck Program did not have authority to operate in the state of Illinois, The Chicago Tribune reported.

The $40 million program has been hit by a continuing series of scandals uncovered by the city’s two major newspapers, The Tribune and The Chicago Sun Times. The reports included charges that some companies received money for trucks that sat still, and that others benefiting from the program took part only because of political connections.

Nearly one-third of the companies taking part have been suspended as a result of the investigation.

The Tribune report said that the city recently requested records on 160 companies taking part in the Hired Truck Program. The Illinois Commerce Commission’s records, obtained by The Tribune, showed that more than a dozen firms did not have state authority.

Some of the companies have since re-established authority.