Federal Government Enforces English Proficiency Rule for Truckers

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), announced that they will be moving to codify the current guidelines on English Language Proficiency (ELP) for truckers into a new rule.

Turning the ELP guidelines into an official rule is a significant change, as it prevents future administrations from weakening English fluency requirements for drivers.

The guidelines state that drivers who cannot read or understand English well enough to communicate with other drivers or understand road signs and signals will be placed out of service.

The move was announced by U.S Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy who stated:

“By making these commonsense English proficiency standards permanent, we are closing a dangerous loophole that has cost Americans their lives.”  

The rule also covers the current “border loophole.” Currently, drivers coming from Mexico that lack English proficiency have free rein on US highways.

As reported by trucking industry media outlet Freightwaves (reposted on Yahoo News), this rule change ensures these drivers will now be stopped and placed out-of-service if they lack English skills before they can exit the border area.

This is an important development for the safety of all drivers on our roads. At ProEnglish we’ll continue to advocate on this important issue and support legislation like Dalilah’s Law, which would codify English proficiency requirements for drivers into federal law.