WASHINGTON — U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is announcing the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is moving to codify guidelines that enforce English Language Proficiency (ELP) requirements for commercial motor vehicle drivers into a new rule.
“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,” Duffy said. “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. By turning this guideline into a codified rule, future administrations will not be able to weaken ELP requirements like the Obama administration did allowing unqualified drivers to remain on U.S. roads.
New Standards for Truckers
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. According to USDOT, the crackdown on dangerous drivers has already knocked more than 26,000 drivers off American roads for failing ELP tests.
“When a driver can’t read a ‘Steep Grade,’ ‘Runaway Truck Ramp,’ or ‘Do Not Enter’ sign, people die,” said Derek Barrs, FMCSA administrator. “This rulemaking codifies commonsense safety into law. Since reinvigorating strict ELP checks, we have already pulled over 26,000 unqualified drivers off the road. This rule ensures that roadside inspectors will always have the full force of federal regulation behind them to issue immediate out-of-service orders whenever an unqualified driver is detected.”
ELP History
According to USDOT, federal regulations on English proficiency standards have existed for commercial drivers since 1937. However, a 2016 policy introduced during the Obama Administration prohibited inspectors from placing drivers out-of-service solely for failing English proficiency evaluations. Instead, non-compliant drivers were merely issued minor administrative citations and allowed to keep driving on America’s roadways.
“Lowering these standards resulted in a steep drop in driver standards and led to fatal crashes in Florida and Colorado where investigations concluded drivers were unable to read English warning signs or communicate with law enforcement during routine inspections,” USDOT said in a press release.
The Department first reinstated this rule in April 2025 to coincide with a White House Executive Order to strengthen highway safety by ensuring that all commercial drivers are properly qualified and proficient in English, our national language.
Key Elements of the Proposed Rulemaking
- Cementing Commonsense Safety Rules: This proposed rule makes the inability to understand basic road signs or communicate with law enforcement an immediate out-of-service violation in federal regulations. Once finalized, it will prevent future administrations from quietly weakening these standards and putting American lives at risk.
- Strict Nationwide Enforcement: The proposed rule establishes a unified standard to ensure every state across the country applies the same strict out-of-service requirement for unqualified truck drivers.
- Closing the Border Loophole: The proposed rule takes decisive action to crack down on a dangerous loophole at the U.S.-Mexico border. Any driver who cannot sufficiently read or speak English will be stopped and placed out-of-service before exiting the border area and driving further into American communities.
The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking was published in the Federal Register, opening a public comment period prior to final implementation.
For more information on commercial motor vehicle safety regulations, click here.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
