DOT Proposes Permanent English Proficiency Rule for Commercial Truckers

The proposal, announced in a post on X, would embed the language requirement in federal regulations so future administrations cannot easily reverse it. Duffy said more than 26,000 drivers have already been removed from the road for failing to demonstrate English proficiency since enforcement was tightened in 2025.

Federal law already mandates that commercial drivers read and speak English well enough to communicate with the public, understand traffic signs and signals, respond to official inquiries, and complete required reports. The Department of Transportation began enforcing this more aggressively after reversing a 2016 policy that had barred inspectors from placing drivers out of service solely for English-proficiency violations.

The proposal goes beyond enforcement guidance by codifying the requirement in regulation. It also includes testing, immediate out-of-service orders for noncompliant drivers, and potential cuts to state funding. The department has linked the crackdown to concerns about the qualifications of some non-domiciled commercial drivers.

In February, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration finalized a rule restricting non-domiciled commercial learner's permits and licenses to foreign individuals with certain employment-based nonimmigrant statuses. The government has also canceled roughly 30,000 commercial licenses it says were issued illegally.

The proposal is likely to affect immigrant truck drivers, who make up a significant share of the U.S. trucking workforce. Immigrant advocacy groups have criticized recent federal actions and filed legal challenges, but the administration says the rules target driver qualifications and public safety, not nationality.