President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday requiring commercial truck drivers to demonstrate English language proficiency, a move that could significantly impact the logistics and transportation sectors.
What Happened: The order, announced by The White House’s official Rapid Response account, directs the Department of Transportation to enforce existing regulations under 49 C.F.R. 391.11(b)(2) that mandate drivers must “read and speak the English language sufficiently” to operate commercial vehicles safely.
“Drivers need to provide feedback to their employers and customers and receive related directions in English. This is common sense,” The White House said.
“Within 60 days, the Secretary of Transportation shall rescind the 2016 guidance document on English language proficiency and issue new enforcement procedures,” the executive order states. The order also requires that violations result in drivers being placed “out-of-service,” effectively grounding them until compliance is achieved.
This directive follows Trump’s March 1 executive order designating English as the official national language of the United States, continuing his administration’s focus on language policy.
Why it matters: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 68 million U.S. residents speak a language other than English, representing a significant portion of the workforce.
The order also directs the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to review “non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses” for irregularities and improve verification protocols for both domestic and international driving credentials.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who recently announced regulatory changes simplifying autonomous driving regulations, will oversee the implementation of the new directive. This comes despite Trump’s previous statements opposing autonomous vehicles during his campaign.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.