The Department of Transportation on Wednesday gave an update on efforts to ensure truckers are meeting the requirement that they are able to speak English and read highway signs in what has been designated as the nation’s official language.
Transportation Secretary Sean Dufy posted on social media that some 9,500 truckers have been removed from driving for not meeting English language regulations.
Duffy’s post on “X” said…
“We’ve now knocked 9,500 truck drivers out of service for failing to speak our national language — ENGLISH!
“This administration will always put you and your family’s safety first.“
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s national inspection database shows 8,953 out-of-service English-language violations.
In April, President Donald Trump signed an executive order requiring strict enforcement of an English-language requirement law that had been on the books for many years but had been suspended by guidance issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in 2016.
Trump’s executive order says …
“Proficiency in English ... should be a non-negotiable safety requirement for professional drivers.
“They should be able to read and understand traffic signs, communicate with traffic safety, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station officers.
“Drivers need to provide feedback to their employers and customers and receive related directions in English.”
Trump’s order rescinded the FMCSA’s guidance and restored a lack of English proficiency as an out-of-service violation.
The new guidance was signed by Duffy in May and took effect on June 25.
It was the same executive order that triggered the review of state-issued non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses.
