Trump Rule Sidelines 6,000 Truckers Over English Tests

By Theodore Bunker | Thursday, 16 October 2025 11:15 AM EDT

The Trump administration's enforcement of a strict English-proficiency requirement for commercial truck drivers forced about 6,000 drivers off the road this year amid rising tensions with state governments over compliance, The Washington Post reported.

Under a May 2025 policy issued by Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy, roadside inspections must now begin in English, and drivers suspected of lacking language proficiency may face a two-step evaluation. Failure results not just in a citation but immediate out-of-service designation.

The policy has sparked backlash from industry groups, civil rights organizations and trucking companies, which argue that there is scant evidence that English proficiency reduces crash risk. Critics also say the rule disproportionately burdens immigrant and Latino drivers.

In an escalation of the policy dispute, the U.S. Transportation Department announced it will withhold more than $40 million in federal highway and safety grants from California, accusing the state of failing to enforce the new English standard. Additional funds, up to $160 million, are being threatened for continued noncompliance.

California officials pushed back, noting the state's licensed commercial drivers show crash rates below the national average, and rejected claims that it refuses to enforce safety rules.

Multiple states, including Washington and New Mexico, have also been warned to enforce the standard or face cuts to Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) funding.

The new enforcement is anchored in the federal regulation 49 C.F.R. § 391.11(b)(2), which has long required commercial drivers to "speak and read the English language sufficiently" to converse with the public, understand highway signage, respond to official inquiries, and complete reports.

What's changing now is not the technical rule itself but its strict enforcement: beginning June 25, English violations were formally added to the North American Out-of-Service Criteria used by inspectors.

Fleets and drivers are scrambling to adjust. Many trucking firms are implementing internal English assessments, training programs and contingency planning for driver displacement.

Meanwhile, lawmakers are signaling further steps. Senate Republicans introduced a companion bill to codify the English proficiency standard legislatively.

As the tension between federal mandates and state pushback intensifies, the trucking industry and government officials will closely watch how enforcement, legal challenges and labor supply play out in the months ahead.

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/do...16/id/1230635/