The Department of Transportation has disqualified more than 9,500 commercial truck drivers who failed English-language exams, part of President Donald Trump’s broader effort to strengthen road safety, enforce federal licensing laws, and uphold English as the nation’s official language.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the updated enforcement total on Dec. 10, saying the action demonstrates the administration’s commitment to keeping unqualified operators off the nation’s highways. “We’ve now knocked 9,500 truck drivers out of service for failing to speak our national language—ENGLISH!” Duffy wrote in an X post. “This administration will always put you and your family’s safety first.”
The Department of Transportation reinstated out-of-service penalties in May for drivers who cannot read or speak English well enough to safely operate commercial motor vehicles. Duffy said the goal is to ensure that truckers can interpret road signs, communicate with inspectors, and follow directions during inspections or emergencies. “America First means safety first,” he stated in a May briefing.
The policy stems from two executive orders signed by President Trump earlier this year—one designating English as the official language of the United States and another mandating stricter enforcement of English standards for commercial drivers. Trump said the changes were designed to “protect the safety of American truckers, drivers, passengers, and others,” and to ensure that “anyone behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle is properly qualified and proficient in our national language.”
The policy reversed an Obama-era rule that allowed inspectors to cite drivers for failing English tests but not remove them from service, according to a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration memo issued in May.
Fatal Crashes and Licensing Failures
The language crackdown followed a series of fatal accidents involving foreign or nondomiciled drivers who failed English tests or held improperly issued licenses. One high-profile case in Florida involved Harjinder Singh, an Indian national accused of killing three people after making an illegal U-turn in a semi-truck. Investigators said Singh, who was in the U.S. illegally, passed only one of four road sign questions on his exam but was nonetheless granted commercial driver’s licenses by both Washington state and California.
Federal reviews later found similar problems in several states, leading to an ongoing nationwide audit of state CDL programs. In September, Duffy issued emergency restrictions after auditors discovered what he called a “catastrophic pattern” of noncompliance—particularly in California, where more than 25 percent of nondomiciled commercial licenses were issued improperly.
“What our team has discovered should disturb and anger every American,” Duffy said. “Licenses to operate a massive, 80,000-pound truck are being issued to dangerous foreign drivers—oftentimes illegally. This is a direct threat to the safety of every family on the road, and I won’t stand for it.”
The Transportation Department has since warned that states failing to enforce English-language rules could lose federal highway safety funds. California alone faces the potential loss of more than $40 million unless it revokes licenses issued in violation of federal standards.
Broader Enforcement Effort
The English proficiency mandate coincides with expanded immigration enforcement targeting commercial drivers who are in the country illegally. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in October that 146 illegal immigrants operating semi-trucks were arrested in a joint ICE–Indiana State Police operation. “Far too many innocent Americans have been killed by illegal aliens driving semi-trucks and big rigs,” Noem said. “The Trump Administration is ending the chaos.”
Officials say the campaign’s combined licensing audits, enforcement actions, and arrests aim to restore confidence in commercial transportation safety—ensuring that those driving America’s largest vehicles are both legally present and fluent in the language of the road.
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