U.S. Department of Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy on Tuesday threatened to pull tens of millions in federal highway safety dollars from several states unless they start enforcing the Trump administration’s English-language proficiency rules for commercial truck drivers.
Sec. Duffy, as well as the Alabama Trucking Association, believe this hard line enforcement is an overdue next step and should be only the beginning.
“This is another important action by President Trump to ensure the safety and fairness of America’s trucking industry,” Mark Colson, Alabama Trucking Association President and CEO said.
“In Alabama, the Alabama Trucking Association has been working diligently on this issue and many others with our federal delegation, the Governor’s office, and law enforcement, and we will continue to advocate for the highest standards for safety and security in transportation that will create a level playing field for Alabama’s hard-working trucking professionals.”
Sec. Duffy’s warning comes in the wake of a horrific and deadly Florida Turnpike crash involving Harjinder Singh, an illegal immigrant accused of making an illegal U-turn that killed three people.
Duffy said the driver never should have been on the road and that English-proficiency failures in several states are putting families at risk.
The department says the three states have done tens of thousands of roadside inspections since the rules took effect in June, but have almost never taken drivers off the road for failing English requirements.
California sidelined just one driver for ELP violations, Washington four, and New Mexico zero.
Duffy gave each state 30 days to comply or lose Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program funding, which includes roughly $33 million for California, $10.5 million for Washington and $7 million for New Mexico.
“As we said following the President’s Executive Order enforcing the English Language Proficiency standards, there are additional issues that need to be addressed urgently to ensure highway safety and prevent bad actors from operating such as the improper issuance of non-domiciled CDLs by a number of states. Another major issue involves cross-border visa drivers overstaying their allowances and hauling domestic freight, which is already illegal,” Colson said.
Colson’s group has been vocal that the English rule isn’t new. It’s just finally being enforced.
Alabama officers have already begun issuing citations to drivers who can’t communicate with law enforcement or read road signs, among the first since the federal policy shift took effect.
But, Sec. Duffy and Colson agree, there is more work to be done.
“We must address fraudulent or non-compliant CDL training providers who do not uphold existing entry level training standards. These training providers must not be allowed to operate. Additionally, stricter measures are required to combat the fraudulent use of USDOT numbers and the manipulation of motor carrier (MC) numbers. These tactics enable bad actors and cargo thieves to operate by acquiring legitimate MC numbers to carry out their schemes,” Colson said.
“Addressing and correcting these issues will not only create a safer environment on our roads and highways, but also increase our national security.”
Grayson Everett is the editor and chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.
