Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has announced changes to U.S. regulations that would require commercial truckers to be able to speak and read English.
Duffy made his announcement on Friday in a post on X, which reported that English proficiency will now become a permanent requirement.
“Today, I am proposing to lock English proficiency rules into federal regulations FOR GOOD — so no future administration can ever undo them,” Duffy wrote on X.
“Barack Obama weakened this rule and allowed illegal truckers onto our highways, but THAT IS NOT HAPPENING AGAIN,” he adamantly continued.
“Over 26,000 unqualified drivers have already been pulled off the road. GET READY FOR MANY, MANY MORE,” Duffy concluded.
Duffy’s X post also contained a video of an official asking a trucker to identify U.S. road signs, but the trucker is unable because he cannot read English.
In a press release issued that same day, the DOT noted that “the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is moving to codify guidelines that enforce English Language Proficiency (ELP) requirements for commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers into a new rule.”
The release added that with the rule codified into law, future administrations could not weaken the rules like the Obama administration did in 2016, which allowed “unqualified drivers to remain on U.S. roads.”
The DOT notice went on to point out that Obama weakened DOT rules for English proficiency that had been in place since 1937 to allow for more foreigners to enter the U.S. trucking industry. Obama’s rule change prevented inspectors from placing migrant truckers out-of-service for their inability to speak and read English.
“Under the new standard, CMV drivers unable to sufficiently read or speak English or understand highway traffic signs and signals will be placed out-of-service. Secretary Duffy’s crackdown on dangerous drivers has already knocked more than 26,000 drivers off American roads for failing ELP tests,” the press release added.
“Federal law is clear, drivers who can’t read or speak English — our national language — or understand road signs are unqualified to operate 80,000-pound big rigs on America’s highways. By making these commonsense English proficiency standards permanent, we are closing a dangerous loophole that has cost Americans their lives. The Trump Administration is committed to putting American families first and ensuring the safety of our roads,” Duffy said in a statement.
The president’s executive order signed in April 2025, titled “Enforcing Commonsense Rules of the Road for America’s Truck Drivers,” noted that proficiency in English “should be a non-negotiable safety requirement for professional drivers.”
“They should be able to read and understand traffic signs, communicate with traffic safety, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station officers,” the president’s order stated. “Drivers need to provide feedback to their employers and customers and receive related directions in English. This is common sense.”
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