Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered the Department of Public Safety to “Strictly Enforce English Proficiency Requirements For Commercial Drivers.” The order follows recent coverage by Breitbart Texas of the Lone Star State leading the nation in having truck drivers removed from service for not being proficient in English.
“Truckers play an instrumental role in Texas’ robust economy and in keeping our highways safe,” said Governor Abbott in a written statement on Thurdsay. “Every commercial driver license operator on Texas roadways must be able to communicate clearly in English to ensure compliance with traffic laws, follow safety directions, and prevent accidents.”
Abbott’s statement comes shortly after Breitbart Texas reported on the state leading the nation, by double the second-place state, of commercial truck drivers who received “out of service” orders for not being proficient in reading and understanding English.
On September 1, Breitbart Texas reported that Texas leads the nation, by a large percentage, of commercial driver’s license holders receiving “out of service” orders for not being proficient in reading and speaking English. Governor Abbott’s spokesman, Andrew Mahaleris, responded to an inquiry from Breitbart, saying, “Governor Abbott expects trucking companies in Texas to fully comply with President Trump’s Executive Order. Public safety is priority #1, and we must ensure that truckers are able to navigate Texas roadways safely and efficiently.”
Mahaleris referred to a presidential executive order by President Donald Trump issued in May, which called for truck drivers with commercial licenses to be proficient in speaking and reading English.
On Thursday morning, Abbott stated, “Today, I am directing DPS to enact zero-tolerance enforcement of these federal safety regulations across the board—whether drivers are operating across state lines or only within Texas. This approach will keep Texans safe while keeping our economy moving.”
Governor Abbott’s office stated:
At the governor’s direction, DPS’ Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Troopers and inspectors will conduct English Language Proficiency reviews for all commercial license operators on Texas roadways. These evaluations are a critical measure to ensure drivers possess the necessary communication skills for roadway safety and compliance with federal regulations.
Since June 25, 2025—following President Donald Trump’s executive order directing full enforcement of English proficiency requirements for commercial drivers—DPS and partner agencies have taken enforcement action against approximately 445 commercial vehicle drivers in Texas for English proficiency violations. Of those, about 28 held Texas licenses, while roughly 336 were licensed in Mexico, with the remainder licensed in other states and countries.
The governor also ordered DPS to stop issuing intrastate commercial driver licenses for “drivers that cannot speak English sufficiently to communicate with department personnel.”
Americant Truckers United Spokesman Shannon Everett reacted to the governor’s announcement saying:
Our team was confident that when the right people heard this message, it would be a simple decision to do the right thing. Thank you, Governor Abbott, for not only keeping Texas safe, but also for implementing a policy that has the potential to improve highway safety across the nation if properly enforced.
Breitbart News has reported extensively on the issue of significant, often fatal, crashes involving truck drivers who cannot pass English proficiency examinations.
American Truckers United posted, “Texas is largely responsible for the truck drivers that don’t speak English on America’s roadways. They are predominantly originating from the state of Texas.”
“The trucking industry in Texas is prioritizing cheap labor by favoring non-citizens over American citizens, compromising safety nationwide,” American Truckers United Spokesman Shannon Everett told Breitbart Texas on Monday. “What starts as a Texas issue becomes a national crisis when drivers from these companies—failing English proficiency standards—are exported across America, demanding urgent intervention.”
Two recent fatal crashes involving foreign commercial driver’s license holders brought the issue to the forefront.
In June, Breitbart’s Warner Todd Huston reported that a Cuban migrant was arrested and charged with five counts of manslaughter after he reportedly fell asleep at the wheel and plowed into a traffic jam of trucks and cars on Interstate 20 near Wills Point, Texas. The article points out that Sara Fields claimed that Alexis Osmani Gonzalez-Companioni did not speak English. That claim was not substantiated in the police investigation.
This crash followed on the tail of another fatal crash near Austin, where Solomun Weldekeal-Araya was also arrested and charged with five counts of intoxication manslaughter, Fox 7 in Austin reported.
Bob Price is the Breitbart Texas-Border team’s associate editor and senior news contributor. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday morning talk show. He is a U.S. Air Force veteran and serves as president of Blue Wonder Gun Care Products.
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