US truck drivers will need to prove English proficiency under new executive order

A recent executive order signed by President Donald Trump requires all commercial truck drivers in the United States to be proficient in English.

There’s already a federal rule that mandates commercial drivers must understand English well enough to read traffic signs, among other criteria, but the new directive calls for previous guidance from 2016 to be rescinded in place of more rigorous proficiency standards.

Citing the important role that truckers have in the nation’s economy, Trump called the directive a “nonnegotiable safety requirement” that he says will make the industry more efficient while improving road safety. That will include communicating with officials at agriculture checkpoints, weight limit stations and border patrol, according to the executive order.

The order also comes just a few months after a previous executive order in which Trump designated English as the official language of the U.S.

“My Administration will enforce the law to protect the safety of American truckers, drivers, passengers, and others, including by upholding the safety enforcement regulations that ensure that anyone behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle is properly qualified and proficient in our national language, English,” according to the executive order text.

Under the executive order, violators of the English proficiency requirement will be placed “out-of-service” by enforcement agencies. Some experts say the enforcement could have a widespread impact on the trucking industry’s labor force.

Supply chain demands have led to increased needs for qualified truck drivers, including many across different immigrant communities. Between 2000 and 2021, the estimated number of truck drivers who were born outside of the U.S. grew to more than 700,000, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Michael Belzer is a professor of economics at Wayne State University in Michigan who researches the trucking industry and is a former driver himself. He said the new directive is likely to impact some immigrant drivers.

“I don’t know what the standards are going to be, but I assume that besides the headline value, that the purpose was to make it harder for them to get in, or to do the work,” Belzer said.

So far, the order has received support from large trucking organizations, including Missouri-based Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association — which represents about 150,000 U.S. and Canadian truck drivers. Todd Spencer, the group’s president, said the order will make roads safer for all drivers.

“If you don’t have the ability to read those signs, then you may very well be involved in a spectacular crash with injuries and fatalities, and we don’t want those things to happen,” Spencer said. “It should be mandatory that they’re taught because that’s what, ultimately, eventually, some drivers will be asked to do.”

Also in support is the American Trucking Association, which blamed the 2016 guidance document for a lack of enforcement.

“We thank the Trump Administration for responding to our concerns on the uneven application of this existing regulation,” said Dan Horvath, senior vice president of regulatory and safety policy at the association, in a statement.

While trucking groups have raised concerns over road safety in recent years, Belzer said it’s difficult to know if these new English proficiency standards will actually prevent accidents. He said better work conditions, such as overtime pay, are more likely to improve road safety compared to stricter language standards.

“If it causes wages to rise, then maybe it would make it more safe and more secure and more productive,” he said.

Truck driver Miguel Morales said that English is crucial to the job, but more in-depth entry-level training would be better. Morales, who was born in Chile and is now based out of Houston, Texas, said both language proficiency and higher training standards would make roads safer.

“I think a truck driver should know what they’re doing at all times,” Morales said. “Humans make mistakes, but I think the driver, or whoever is behind that wheel, should be trained 100 percent on what could happen.”

Raman Dhillon is the CEO of the North American Punjabi Trucking Association, which represents about 2,000 drivers in the U.S. He said that Trump’s new order is creating a fear that some drivers will be targeted because of where they’re from.

“I think all these rules and regulations are vital to the trucking industry, but on the other hand, are these measures going to be used against the people of color to retaliate or to discriminate?” Dhillon said.

Days after Trump’s executive order, the Oklahoma state House of Representatives voted in favor of a bill that would fine drivers who can’t demonstrate English proficiency. The bill’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Jonathan Wilk, said the bill is about preventing roadside accidents and fatalities, not federal immigration policy.

“This is a 100 percent public safety bill,” Wilk said. “We are in no way trying to hinder law-abiding folks to come to this country and earn a living and taking advantage of the American dream. We just don’t want it to be at the cost of Americans’ lives.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation is expected to issue new guidance on federal English proficiency testing and enforcement within the next 60 days.

This story was produced in partnership with Harvest Public Media, a collaboration of public media newsrooms in the Midwest. It reports on food systems, agriculture and rural issues.