Two commercial truck drivers traveling through northeast Alabama have been issued citations for not speaking English, marking some of the first enforcement actions following President Donald Trump’s recent executive order reinforcing a nearly century-old English-language proficiency requirement for commercial drivers.
In the executive order, Trump emphasized the importance of English proficiency as a critical safety requirement for commercial drivers.
“Every day, truckers perform the demanding and dangerous work of transporting the Nation’s goods to businesses, customers, and communities safely, reliably, and efficiently," Trump stated, adding that drivers should be able to read and understand traffic signs.
“Yet this requirement has not been enforced in years, and America’s roadways have become less safe,” stated Trump. The order also instructs the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to treat violations of the English proficiency rule as grounds for placing drivers out of service.
According to Colson, additional steps are needed. “One major issue involves B-1 Visa drivers overstaying their cross-border allowances and hauling domestic freight, which is already an illegal activity known as cabotage,” he posted.
“Another pressing concern is the need to address fraudulent or non-compliant CDL training providers who are non-compliant with existing training standards,” according to Colson, adding that these providers need to be removed from the training provider registry.
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance noted that the renewed English language proficiency regulation took effect on June 26.