In a move to enhance road safety, the U.S. Department of Transportation has begun enforcing English-language proficiency requirements for commercial truck drivers. Under new guidelines issued by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, 1,500 drivers have been taken off the road within just 30 days for failing to meet the standard. The regulation, which had been in place for years, was previously given lower priority by the Obama administration in 2016 and later reinstated following an executive order by President Trump in April 2025.Secretary Duffy emphasized that public safety depends on truck drivers being able to read and understand English road signs. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) pointed to two serious incidents to support this concern: a fatal crash in West Virginia earlier this year involving a non-English-speaking driver, and a 2019 accident where a driver, unable to comprehend warning signs, caused a crash that killed four people.
The updated enforcement policy mandates that drivers who fail to comply will be placed out of service. Although FMCSA has held this requirement for years, its enforcement had been inconsistent. Trucking industry leaders, including the American Trucking Associations, have welcomed the move, citing the need for consistent application of safety regulations. Law enforcement agencies, not the DOT directly, are responsible for suspending licenses under the renewed enforcement framework.
