No English, No Engine: Trump Signs Language Requirement For Truckers

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday reinstating the requirement that commercial truck drivers in the United States demonstrate proficiency in English, citing public safety concerns and the need for clear communication on American roads.

The order directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to begin English literacy testing for all truckers operating commercial motor vehicles (CMV). Drivers unable to meet the standard will be placed “out-of-service,” meaning they will be prohibited from operating a CMV until they demonstrate adequate English skills.

CMVs are any vehicle with a “gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 10,001 pounds or more” and includes most 18-wheelers, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), an agency of DOT.

“[Truckers] should be able to read and understand traffic signs, communicate with traffic safety, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station officers,” Trump’s order states. “This is common sense.”

The order does not create a new policy but reinstates an old one. Starting in 1937, federal regulations had required CMV operators to be able to “read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals in the English language, to respond to official inquiries, and to make entries on reports and records.”

In 2016, the Obama administration overrode these longstanding regulations and weakened enforcement against CMV drivers who lack English language proficiency (ELP). The Obama guidance eliminated the mandate for federal inspectors to place such drivers out of service during safety investigations and removed the requirement for formal interviews to assess ELP during roadside inspections. It even instructed that if a driver cannot read, write, or speak English — but can somehow otherwise communicate with an inspector—they should not be cited for a violation and could continue driving.

Recent reporting indicates that drivers who cannot speak English pose a major safety threat. Fatal crashes involving large trucks spiked almost 30% since in the years after Obama’s policy went into effect. From 2008-2015, that number decreased.

Republican Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman recently wrote a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy highlighting these concerns and calling for an end to the Obama era policy.

“When looking at available data, it is well within reason to conclude that this guidance has played a factor in the number of trucking accidents throughout the last several years. According to reported data, the number of fatal truck crashes has consistently increased since 2016, with approximately 5,837 fatal accidents in 2022,” she wrote.

Groups representing truck drivers such as the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) celebrated the move.

“OOIDA and the 150,000 truckers we proudly represent strongly support President Trump’s decision to resume enforcement of English proficiency requirements for commercial drivers,” said OOIDA President Todd Spencer.

“Basic English skills are essential for reading critical road signs, understanding emergency instructions, and interacting with law enforcement,” Spencer added. “Road signs save lives — but only when they’re understood.”

The Small Business in Transportation in Coalition (SBTC) praised the order and called on Congress to respond by passing legislation to codify the changes into law.

“America, as a result, will now see that the roads will now be safer with truckers being required to speak, understand and read English. However, this executive is only as good for as long as Donald J. Trump is President. Congress should take this as a sign that the President believes this is an important public safety issue. They should immediately introduce and pass our proposed CONNOR’S LAW bill and permanently codify it into law,” SBTC said in a statement to the Trucker.

Connor’s Law is a proposed bill named after Connor Dzion, an 18-year-old who was killed by a truck driven by a man who allegedly could not understand English. Much like Trump’s order, it would require states to enforce English language proficiency for CMV drivers.