The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is proposing to write English language proficiency enforcement directly into federal trucking regulations, a step that would make the requirement harder for future administrations to unwind.
Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced the proposal, which would codify guidelines placing commercial drivers out of service when they cannot adequately read or speak English or understand highway traffic signs and signals. The Department of Transportation said more than 26,000 commercial drivers have already been placed out of service for failing English language proficiency evaluations since strict enforcement resumed.
"Federal law is clear, drivers who can't read or speak English, our national language, or understand road signs are unqualified to operate 80,000 pound big rigs on America's highways," Duffy said in a statement.
DOT said the proposal would also create a single nationwide standard so states apply the same out of service criteria rather than varying by jurisdiction.
The rule carries specific consequences for cross border operations. According to DOT, it addresses drivers moving between Mexico and the United States, including the conditions under which a driver who fails an English language evaluation must be placed out of service before traveling beyond the commercial border zone. Drivers operating only inside the border zone would not be placed out of service unless inspectors have evidence they have operated or intend to operate beyond it.
The proposal does not specify how long an out of service order tied to English proficiency would remain in effect. The Houston based Professional Trucking Association Group said it supports standardized requirements, describing sufficient English skills as necessary for reading road signs and communicating with inspectors and emergency responders.
Source: FreightWaves - https://www.freightwaves.com/news/after-sidelining-26000-truck-drivers-fmcsa-seeks-to-lock-in-english-rules