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DOT Gives California, Washington and New Mexico 30 Days to Enforce Trucker English Rule or Lose Funds

Federal officials tie future safety grants to proof of roadside English enforcement.

FILE - Senior instructor Markus Juarez, bottom, talks to student driver Jaime Rojas at California Truck Driving Academy in Inglewood, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Department of Transportation headquarters, announcing formal action against three states for failing to enforce federal English Language Proficiency (ELP) requirements for commercial motor vehicle drivers, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Harjinder Singh is escorted to an airplane by Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and law enforcement on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, in Stockton, Calif. (AP Photo/Benjamin Fanjoy)

Overview

  • Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned the three states they could lose up to 100% of their Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program funding, citing roughly $50 million at risk overall.
  • DOT cited inspection data since June 25 showing under‑enforcement, including about 34,000 California inspections with only one English-related out‑of‑service action and 23 drivers with prior violations allowed to keep driving.
  • Washington recorded four out‑of‑service actions for English violations and New Mexico recorded none, according to DOT findings shared after a federal review tied to the Florida crash.
  • The enforcement push follows an Aug. 12 Florida Turnpike collision in which driver Harjinder Singh, charged with three counts of vehicular homicide, reportedly failed post‑crash English and road‑sign tests.
  • The action builds on President Trump’s April executive order and May DOT guidance restoring out‑of‑service authority for English failures, alongside a State Department pause on worker visas for commercial truck drivers.