After Trump’s EO on English proficiency, Sean Duffy scraps Obama-era waiver for truck drivers

President Donald J. Trump on Monday signed an executive order titled “Enforcing Commonsense Rules of the Road for America’s Truck Drivers,” mandating strict English language proficiency for commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operators and within hours, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy directed the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to immediately rescind the 2016 guidance that had halted enforcement of English-language requirements for truck drivers and to issue new procedures ensuring any driver unable to read or speak English sufficiently be placed out-of-service.

Executive Order Spurs Immediate Action

In Section 3 of the order, President Trump required the DOT to withdraw “MC-ECE-2016-006,” the Obama-era policy that since June 15, 2016, had instructed inspectors not to enforce English language proficiency (ELP) standards. Within 60 days, FMCSA must not only void that guidance, but also issue updated inspection protocols under 49 C.F.R. 391.11(b)(2), which demands that CMV operators “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.”

DOT Restores Stringent ELP Enforcement

Acting on the president’s directive, Secretary Duffy announced that FMCSA will:

• Rescind the 2016 ELP guidance and publish new enforcement procedures.
  
• Revise the Federal and State out-of-service criteria so that any ELP violation automatically grounds the driver.
  
• Collaborate with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance to integrate the ELP requirement into its Out-of-Service criteria, ensuring uniform application by federal and state inspectors.

“Federal law is clear, a driver who cannot sufficiently read or speak English—and understand road signs—is unqualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle in America. This commonsense standard should have never been abandoned,” Secretary Duffy said in a DOT press release.

Heightened CDL Security Reviews

The executive order also directs the DOT to scrutinize non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) for irregular issuance patterns and to bolster verification protocols for both domestic and international credentials. These steps aim to safeguard against fraudulent licensing and further enhance highway safety.

Safety Concerns Underpin the Move

FMCSA has linked inadequate language enforcement to deadly crashes, including:

• A 2019 highway collision in which a semi-truck, traveling nearly 100 mph, failed to heed warnings about steep grades and curves, resulting in four fatalities and multiple injuries.
  
• A January 2025 West Virginia crash in which the driver fled the scene and later required an interpreter during the investigation.

Supporting America’s Truckers

Beyond enforcement, the order tasks DOT with identifying additional administrative or regulatory actions within 60 days to improve working conditions for truck drivers.