President Donald Trump signed an executive order in April enforcing regulations already on the books for truck drivers.
"America’s truck drivers are essential to the strength of our economy, the security of our Nation, and the livelihoods of the American people. Every day, truckers perform the demanding and dangerous work of transporting the Nation’s goods to businesses, customers, and communities safely, reliably, and efficiently," the order states. "Proficiency in English, which I designated as our official national language in Executive Order 14224 of March 1, 2025 (Designating English as the Official Language of the United States), 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. Drivers need to provide feedback to their employers and customers and receive related directions in English. This is common sense."
"President Donald Trump's putting teeth into a decades-old federal rule requiring commercial truck drivers to read and speak English."
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 20, 2025
"Failing the test puts the driver out of service immediately and could disqualify them from obtaining a CDL in the future." pic.twitter.com/zAYf3IJzpI
"That is why Federal law requires that, to operate a commercial vehicle, a driver must 'read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals in the English language, to respond to official inquiries, and to make entries on reports and records.' Yet this requirement has not been enforced in years, and America’s roadways have become less safe," the order continues.
Last weekend we learned why that enforcement is necessary.
Illegal Indian trucker Harjinder Singh killed a Florida family of three in an illegal U-turn.
— AF Post (@AFpost) August 18, 2025
Singh, who crossed the border in 2018, still got a CDL from California. He now faces homicide charges and deportation.
Follow: @AFpost pic.twitter.com/TivzNOAxPj
Sanctuary states like California and Washington are issuing Commercial Driver's Licenses to illegal aliens who don't speak English and can't read basic driving signs. The results are deadly and in violation of federal law.
If you can’t speak our national language or read our road signs, you are not qualified to drive a truck.
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) August 20, 2025
That’s why in May @POTUS and I took action to actually upgrade the penalty for failing English requirements.
I’ve directed @FMCSA to investigate the driver and White Hawk… pic.twitter.com/54uBJ6l8TN