The federal government is making good on threats to withhold funding from a state over how it issues commercial driver’s licenses. The cut is aimed at money used to fund law enforcement agents conducting commercial motor vehicle inspections.
Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy Wednesday announced the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will withhold over $40 million from California following an investigation that found the state has failed to comply with the department’s English Language Proficiency (ELP) standards, according to a statement from Duffy.
“I put states on notice this summer: enforce the Trump Administration’s English language requirements or the checks stop coming. California is the only state in the nation that refuses to ensure big rig drivers can read our road signs and communicate with law enforcement,” said Duffy in a statement. “This is a fundamental safety issue that impacts you and your family on America’s road.”
In total, $40,685,225 from Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program funding awarded to California will be impacted. The program provides grant funding for states to conduct roadside inspections, traffic enforcement, safety audits of trucking companies, and public education campaigns.
“Let me be clear, this is valuable money that should be going to the great men and women in California law enforcement, who we support. Gov. Newsom’s insistence on obstructing federal law has tied my hands,” Duffy said.
For FMCSA to restore funding, California must adopt and actively enforce a law, regulation, standard, or order that is compatible with the federal ELP requirement for commercial drivers, according to the DOT statement. This means state inspectors need to begin conducting ELP assessments during roadside inspections and place those who fail out-of-service.
California officials have defended its CDL practices. A spokesperson for the governor, said statistics show that California commercial truck drivers have a lower crash rate than the national average.
The focus on California’s ELP processes began in early August when a trucker attempted an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike during which the trailer was struck by a minivan killing its three occupants. The driver, an Indian national who entered the U.S. illegally, had received a commercial driver’s license from California, and a previous one from Washington.
California said the trucker had a legal work permit when it issued the CDL.
After that crash, Duffy ordered an audit of all states’ processes for issuing CDLs, and sparked an effort to identify and remove from the road truckers who could not meet English language proficiency.
At the same time, the decision to withhold the FMCSA funding comes as California and the Trump administration are at odds over a variety of issues. This has led to a series of critical back and forth social media posts by California Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Trump, who in April issued an executive order requiring truckers be proficient in English.
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