President Trump has revived strict enforcement of a nearly 90-year-old federal safety regulation requiring commercial truck drivers to demonstrate English proficiency, reversing Obama-era policies that allowed non-English speakers to operate big rigs on American highways despite longstanding safety concerns.
Story Snapshot
- Trump’s executive orders restore enforcement of a 1937 English proficiency requirement for truckers that Obama officials effectively gutted in 2014
- Violations for language deficiencies plummeted from 101,000 in 2014 to fewer than 10,000 annually after enforcement was weakened
- Connor’s Law introduced in Congress would codify the requirement, ensuring drivers can read road signs and communicate during emergencies
- Industry groups strongly support the move for highway safety while employers worry about driver shortages exceeding 80,000 nationwide
Reversing Obama-Era Weakness on Highway Safety
President Trump signed two executive orders in 2025 restoring enforcement of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation 49 CFR §391.11(b)(2), originally enacted in July 1937. The March 1 order designated English as America’s official language and revoked Executive Order 13166, while the April 28 directive specifically ordered Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to enforce English proficiency requirements for commercial drivers. The regulation mandates truckers possess sufficient ability to read and speak English for public conversation, traffic signs, official inquiries, and record-keeping. This enforcement revival targets a safety gap created during the previous administration when bureaucrats prioritized multilingual accommodation over road safety.
How the Obama Administration Undermined Trucker Safety Standards
The Obama administration systematically weakened enforcement starting in 2014 when the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued a memo prohibiting inspectors from placing drivers out-of-service solely for language deficiencies. Citations continued but drivers kept operating, rendering the safety rule effectively toothless. Further erosion occurred in 2016 through FMCSA guidance “MC-ECE-2016-006” that completely removed the out-of-service requirement. The results speak volumes: language violation citations dropped from over 101,000 with 4,000 out-of-service orders in 2014 to just 7,800-10,000 annually between 2017 and 2024. This dramatic decline reflected policy changes, not improved compliance, leaving Americans sharing highways with drivers unable to understand critical safety communications.
Common Sense Legislation Supports Trump’s Safety Initiative
Representatives Dave Taylor of Ohio and Harriet Hageman of Wyoming introduced Connor’s Law to permanently codify English proficiency requirements into statute, preventing future administrations from repeating Obama’s dangerous policy reversals. The legislation would mandate English proficiency for CDL issuance and reinstate out-of-service violations for non-compliance. Representative Mike Collins, a former trucker himself, joined in support, emphasizing firsthand knowledge of communication’s critical role in highway safety. The bill draws its name from tragic crashes linked to language barriers, with Taylor noting these deaths were preventable through basic common sense standards like ensuring drivers understand road signs—”Ohio common sense,” as he described it.
Industry Unity Behind English Proficiency Standards
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association strongly endorsed the enforcement revival, emphasizing that English proficiency proves essential during emergencies, roadside inspections, and accident investigations. American Trucking Associations welcomed the clarity, with Senior Vice President Henry Hanscom praising efforts to codify the 1930s-era law and eliminate confusion created by inconsistent Obama-era enforcement. These industry voices represent frontline professionals who understand that communication failures on highways carrying 80,000-pound vehicles at highway speeds create catastrophic risks. The support demonstrates that safety advocates recognize language requirements protect both truckers and the traveling public, prioritizing lives over misguided accommodation policies that endangered everyone.
While some logistics employers express concerns about compliance burdens amid existing driver shortages exceeding 80,000 positions nationwide, the Trump administration’s enforcement prioritizes constitutional common sense and public safety over corporate convenience. Critics attempting to frame language requirements as obstacles miss the fundamental point: American roads demand drivers who can read warning signs, communicate with first responders, and understand safety instructions. The regulation has stood for nearly nine decades because English proficiency represents a baseline safety necessity, not discrimination. As enforcement resumes under Secretary Duffy’s oversight, the Department of Transportation is updating roadside protocols to restore out-of-service authority for language deficiencies, returning sanity to highway safety standards.
Sources:
Trump’s executive order for trucking revives a rule nearly 90 years old – FreightWaves
English Language Proficiency Executive Order – Breakthrough Fuel
