Roughly 1,500 Unqualified Truckers Taken Off The Roads For Failing English Language Proficiency Requirements

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted: 

The Department of Transportation unveiled the requirements in May, with Duffy signing an order designed to “strengthen English language enforcement for commercial truck operators,” per the press release. The guidance states, in part, that commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers who “fail to comply with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) longstanding English-language proficiency (ELP) requirements will be placed out-of-service.” FMCSA regulations provide that a driver unable to sufficiently read or speak English or understand highway traffic signs and signals is not qualified to operate a commercial motor vehicle. However, in 2016, the Obama administration directed inspectors not to place CMV drivers out-of-service for such violations. The failure to adequately enforce driver qualification standards poses serious safety concerns and increases the likelihood of a crash. Duffy’s action followed the executive order taken by President Trump the month prior, ensuring that truckers proficiently speak English. It reads in part: My Administration will enforce the law to protect the safety of American truckers, drivers, passengers, and others, including by upholding the safety enforcement regulations that ensure that anyone behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle is properly qualified and proficient in our national language, English.