Trump expected to revive English proficiency enforcement for truck drivers

This is a developing story and will be updated as new information becomes available.

President Donald Trump’s White House posted the executive order shortly before 5:30 p.m. CT.

For nearly 10 years, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance has loosened enforcement of English-proficiency requirements for truck drivers. President Donald Trump is going back to tightening those reins.

On Monday, April 28, Trump is expected to sign an executive order that deals with English-proficiency requirements for truck drivers, Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted on social media. The order will bring back the CVSA requirement to place drivers out of service if they cannot show they can sufficiently read, write and speak English.

During a news conference, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Trump is expected to sign an executive order addressing English proficiency among truck drivers.

“This is a big problem in the trucking community, that unless you’re in that community you might not know, but there’s a lot of communication problems between truckers on the road with federal officials and local officials as well which obviously is a public safety risk,” Leavitt said. “We’re going to ensure that our truckers, who are the backbone of our economy, are all able to speak English. That’s a very commonsense policy in the United States of America.”

Federal regulations require interstate truck drivers to read and speak English.

Specifically, 49 CFR section 391.11 requires truck drivers 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 2005, CVSA began placing non-compliant drivers out of service, but enforcement was weak. In 2014, CVSA found more than 101,000 English-proficiency violations. However, only 4,036 drivers were placed out of service.

Enforcement came to a grinding halt in 2015, when CVSA decided it was no longer going to place non-compliant drivers out of service. In 2016, FMCSA issued a memo removing the out-of-service requirement for violations. The policy guidance also made it easier for drivers to prove English proficiency by allowing interpreters, cue cards and phone apps.

Truck drivers not being able to read or speak English has been a hot topic in the trucking industry. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association applauded Trump’s order addressing English proficiency.

“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,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer said in a statement. “Basic English skills are essential for reading critical road signs, understanding emergency instructions and interacting with law enforcement. Road signs save lives – but only when they’re understood. That’s why OOIDA petitioned the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance earlier this year to reinstate English proficiency as an out-of-service violation. Today’s announcement is a welcome step toward restoring a commonsense safety standard.”

According to Breitbart, the executive order will rescind the 2016 guidance loosening English-proficiency regulations, as well as reinstating the out-of-service requirements for non-compliance. The Department of Transportation will review procedures for CDL authenticity verification. Trump’s executive order is also expected to address other truck driver issues with “additional administrative, regulatory or enforcement actions.” LL

Managing Editor Jami Jones contributed to this report.