Trump to Sign Executive Order Mandating English Proficiency for Commercial Truck Drivers

Washington, D.C. — President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order on April 28, 2025, requiring all commercial truck drivers in the United States to demonstrate proficiency in English, a move aimed at enhancing roadway safety and addressing communication challenges in the trucking industry. The announcement, made by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, underscores the administration’s focus on ensuring that truckers, deemed “the backbone of our economy,” can effectively communicate in English to navigate the nation’s highways safely.

“There’s a lot of communication problems between truckers on the road,” Leavitt stated, quoting the administration’s rationale for the order. “We’re going to ensure that our truckers, who are the backbone of our economy, are all able to speak English”

The executive order directs Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to strengthen inspection procedures to enforce existing English proficiency requirements, which have been inconsistently applied in recent years.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations, specifically 49 CFR § 391.11(b)(2), already mandate that commercial drivers “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”

However, a 2016 Obama-era memorandum from the FMCSA removed the requirement for inspectors to place drivers out of service for English Language Proficiency (ELP) violations, allowing the use of interpreters or smartphone apps during inspections. This policy shift has been criticized as a safety risk, with Wyoming Representative Harriet Hageman arguing that it has contributed to accidents by permitting drivers who cannot read road signs or communicate effectively to remain on the road (Washington Examiner, April 28, 2025).

The executive order seeks to reverse this guidance, mandating that drivers who fail to demonstrate English proficiency be placed out of service, thereby prioritizing safety. “President Trump believes that English is a non-negotiable safety requirement for professional drivers, as they should be able to read and understand traffic signs, communicate with traffic safety officers, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station personnel,” the order states (Washington Examiner, April 28, 2025).

Additionally, Secretary Duffy will evaluate protocols for verifying the authenticity of commercial driver’s licenses and explore measures to improve truckers’ working conditions.

The decision follows advocacy from industry stakeholders like the Small Business in Transportation Coalition (SBTC), which has pushed for stricter enforcement of ELP requirements. SBTC President James Lamb has cited incidents, such as a 2017 fatal crash in Florida where a non-English-speaking driver failed to heed warning signs, as evidence of the dangers posed by inadequate language skills (TheTrucker.com, March 19, 2025). Wyoming Highway Patrol data further supports these concerns, reporting 410 cases of truckers unable to communicate proficiently in English during inspections in fiscal 2024 (TT News, April 25, 2025).

Supporters, including the American Trucking Associations (ATA), applaud the move, emphasizing consistent enforcement. “Federal law requires all CMV drivers to demonstrate English proficiency, and it’s imperative that any regulation on the books is evenly enforced,” said Dan Horvath, ATA’s senior vice president of safety policy (TT News, April 25, 2025). The American Truckers group expressed gratitude on X, stating, “Incredible!!! Thank you for addressing the American Truck Driver Community!!” (Washington Examiner, April 28, 2025).

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