Roughly 1,500 unqualified truckers have been taken off the roads after not meeting the basic standards for English language proficiency, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
“Since I took action to enforce language proficiency requirements for truckers, our state partners have put roughly 1,500 unqualified drivers out of service. That’s what I call results!” Duffy said in an X post.
“If you can’t read or speak our national language — ENGLISH — we won’t let your truck endanger the driving public. America First = Safety First ,” he added.
The Department of Transportation unveiled the requirements in May, with Duffy signing an order designed to “strengthen English language enforcement for commercial truck operators,” per the press release. The guidance states, in part, that commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers who “fail to comply with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) longstanding English-language proficiency (ELP) requirements will be placed out-of-service.”
FMCSA regulations provide that a driver unable to sufficiently read or speak English or understand highway traffic signs and signals is not qualified to operate a commercial motor vehicle. However, in 2016, the Obama administration directed inspectors not to place CMV drivers out-of-service for such violations. The failure to adequately enforce driver qualification standards poses serious safety concerns and increases the likelihood of a crash.
Duffy’s action followed the executive order taken by President Trump the month prior, ensuring that truckers proficiently speak English. It reads in part:
My Administration will enforce the law to protect the safety of American truckers, drivers, passengers, and others, including by upholding the safety enforcement regulations that ensure that anyone behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle is properly qualified and proficient in our national language, English.
It is the policy of my Administration to support America’s truckers and safeguard our roadways by enforcing the commonsense English-language requirement for commercial motor vehicle drivers and removing needless regulatory burdens that undermine the working conditions of America’s truck drivers. This order will help ensure a safe, secure, and efficient motor carrier industry.
This also coincides with remarks made by Shannon Everett, cofounder of American Truckers United, who told Breitbart News Daily that American truckers are having to compete with foreigners:
Everett said there are loopholes that are making this a reality. For instance, the U.S. is allowing foreign commercial drivers licenses to be used on America’s highways. He pointed to one example with the death of Scott Miller in Colorado in a semi-truck crash.
“Scott Miller was killed by a driver who had been deported 16 times. He was under deportation orders at the time of the accident. And so I knew exactly what was going on with that driver, because of my experience with the cross border lanes and the competitors,” he added.
“The American truck driver is continually being pushed down. Their standards are being pushed down. Their wages are being pushed down. So, of course, no one wants to drive a truck,” Everett explained.
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