Commercial Drivers Must Meet English Proficiency Standards

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APPLIES TO

All Employers with Employees Subject to the FMCSA

EFFECTIVE

April 28, 2025

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  • The FMCSA is directed to put drivers out-of-service who do not meet existing regulatory requirements for English proficiency.

Discussion:

Recently signed Executive Order 14286 directs the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to enforce existing English proficiency requirements for commercial truck drivers. Titled, “Enforcing Commonsense Rules of the Road For America’s Truck Drivers,” it cites the need for drivers to “read and understand traffic signs, communicate with traffic safety, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station officers.  Drivers need to provide feedback to their employers and customers and receive related directions in English.” This Order is a further extension of Executive Order 14224, “Designating English as the Official Language of the United States,” that was effective as of March 1, 2025.

 

Additionally, the Executive Order instructs the FMCSA to “(a) review non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) issued by relevant State agencies to identify any unusual patterns or numbers or other irregularities with respect to non-domiciled CDL issuance; and (b) evaluate and take appropriate actions to improve the effectiveness of current protocols for verifying the authenticity and validity of both domestic and international commercial driving credentials.”

 

FMCSA has historically penalized Existing regulations require commercial motor vehicle drivers to “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.” English proficiency violations by issuing citations to the driver and the driver’s employer. The Executive Order now directs the FMCSA to place drivers out-of-service who violate the regulations.

 

The Executive Order also seeks to improve the working conditions of America’s truck drivers and remove “needless regulatory burdens” that undermine their working conditions. Further guidance is expected on inspection procedures for compliance with regulatory requirements.

 

Action Items

  1. Review the Executive Order here.
  2. Evaluate existing commercial driver’s English proficiency to meet regulatory requirements.
  3. Update hiring and training practices to implement procedures that facilitate compliance with regulations.

 

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