Overview
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy reported that more than 7,200 commercial drivers have been placed out of service since stricter English screening began in May.
- President Trump’s April 2025 executive order directed renewed enforcement of federal rules requiring CDL holders to read and speak English.
- Federal officials link the effort to cases like the Aug. 12 Florida Turnpike crash, after which the truck driver failed an FMCSA English assessment.
- The push reverses a 2016 Obama-era memo that had eased out-of-service enforcement for drivers lacking English proficiency.
- Lawmakers have moved to codify testing, with Rep. Pat Harrigan’s SAFE Drivers Act and Sen. Roger Marshall’s bill to require English exams for all CDL applicants and bar non-English versions.