President Donald Trump has issued an executive order aimed at making America’s roadways safer and more secure.

The order, released on Monday, will now require the nation’s truck drivers to pass English literacy tests prior to earning their commercial driver’s license. The White House believes the order is necessary to mitigate the rise in traffic-related fatalities and injuries caused by non-English speaking truckers.

“Proficiency in English should be a non-negotiable safety requirement for professional drivers,” the EO from Trump reads. “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.”

“That is why Federal law requires that, to operate a commercial vehicle, a driver must ‘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.’” Yet this requirement has not been enforced in years, and America’s roadways have become less safe.”

The order has the firm support of U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville, who recently visited with the Alabama Trucking Association at their annual conference.

Enjoyed speaking with @AlabamaTrucking this morning.

The trucking industry is crucial to our economy, and I am grateful for each and every one of Alabama’s more than 125,000+ truckers. pic.twitter.com/zmQlv3guUG

— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) April 25, 2025

“If you drive a truck in the United States, you should be able to speak English fluently,” Tuberville said. “This protects our law enforcement officers and the general public. This is not only about safety and efficiency – it’s just commonsense. Whether taking their kids to school, driving to work, or going to the grocery store, Americans shouldn’t feel in danger every time they get on the road.”

“I applaud President Trump’s efforts to remove commercial truck drivers who cannot read or speak English, strengthen inspection procedures, enforce our nation’s laws, and ultimately, make our roads a safer place for Americans going about their daily commutes.”

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It’s not just elected officials who are now expressing support for the President’s decision. Mark Colson, President and CEO of the Alabama Trucking Association, says that the English Proficiency Standard for commercial drivers has existed since 1936 — but the Biden Administration did not enforce it.

Colson called the order from the Trump Administration a welcome action.

“Going forward, there are additional issues that need to be addressed to prevent bad actors from operating,” he said. “One major issue involves B-1 Visa drivers overstaying their cross-border allowances and hauling domestic freight, which is already an illegal activity known as cabotage. Another pressing concern is the need to address fraudulent or non-compliant CDL training providers who are non-compliant with existing training standards. These providers must be removed from the training provider registry. Additionally, stricter measures are required to combat the fraudulent use of USDOT numbers and the manipulation of motor carrier (MC) numbers. These tactics enable cargo thieves to thrive by acquiring legitimate MC numbers to carry out their schemes.”

The ATA, in a combined effort with other pertinent entities, will remain a staunch supporter of making America and Alabama’s roadways safer, Colson pledged.

“In Alabama, the Alabama Trucking Association has been working diligently on all these issues 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 professional drivers.”

Following Trump’s decree, truckers who cannot prove proficiency in English will be placed ‘out of service.’”

Austen Shipley is the News Director for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten