by Bryan Hyde
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is advancing federal rules to permanently mandate English-language proficiency and English-only commercial driver’s license (CDL) testing for all commercial truck drivers.
According to Breitbart, Sec. Duffy made the announcement on Friday in a post on X, calling for permanent changes to U.S. regulations that would require commercial truckers to be able to speak and read English.
Duffy’s social media post contained a video of an official asking a trucker to identify U.S. road signs, but the trucker is unable because he cannot read English.
According to a Friday press release from the U.S. Department of Transportation, under the new standard, CMV drivers unable to sufficiently read or speak English or understand highway traffic signs and signals will be placed out-of-service.
In that press release, Sec. Duffy stated:
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. By making these commonsense English proficiency standards permanent, we are closing a dangerous loophole that has cost Americans their lives. The Trump Administration is committed to putting American families first and ensuring the safety of our roads.
In addition to the English-only CDL testing and out-of-service enforcement, the Department of Transportation has pressured non-compliant states, by withholding federal funds or issuing warnings, to scrap multi-language testing frameworks and adopt federal standards.
President Trump signed an executive order in April 2025, titled “Enforcing Commonsense Rules of the Road for America’s Truck Drivers,” which noted that proficiency in English “should be a non-negotiable safety requirement for professional drivers.”
The president’s order also stated: “They should be able 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 is common sense.”
Last year, the Department of Transportation said non-domiciled drivers caused 30 deaths and at least 17 fatal crashes.
“For far too long, America has allowed dangerous foreign drivers to abuse our truck licensing systems – wreaking havoc on our roadways. This safety loophole ends today,” Duffy noted. “Moving forward, unqualified foreign drivers will be unable to get a license to operate an 80,000-pound big rig. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are putting the safety of the driving public first. From enforcing English language standards to holding fraudulent carriers accountable, we will continue to attack this crisis on our roads head on.”
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Bryan Hyde reports for American Greatness. Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network and contributed to this story.
