The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is taking another step in its commitment to enforce English-proficiency regulations for truck drivers.
On Wednesday, June 24, the agency submitted a proposed rule to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget regarding English-language proficiency and out-of-service criteria.
Although the substance of the proposal has not been released, the agency has made clear its position that to earn a CDL and continue operating as a commercial driver, you must possess enough English skills to read road signs and communicate with law enforcement officers.
The regulation that requires commercial motor vehicle drivers to “read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals …” has been on the books in some form since 1936.
Starting in 2005, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance considered non-compliance with the regulation an out-of-service violation. That changed in 2015, when CVSA voted to drop the enforcement of the English-proficiency regulation from the out-of-service criteria.
Following a petition from the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced in May 2025 that violators would again be placed out of service.
“We’re here to restore common sense and safety to our roadways,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in 2025. “For too long, misguided policies have prioritized political correctness over the safety of the American people … We are issuing new guidance that ensures a driver who can’t understand English will not drive a commercial vehicle in this country. Period. Full stop. Enforcing out-of-service violations is about preventing tragedies and saving lives.”
This past May, the DOT said that more than 20,000 truckers had been placed out of service for failing to meet English standards since enforcement began in June 2025.
While it is unclear exactly what FMCSA’s new proposal aims to do, the agency may plan to codify some of its enforcement guidance into regulations. In February, the FMCSA released a list of frequently asked questions about English-proficiency rules.
The White House will now review FMCSA’s proposal. Once it is approved, a notice of proposed rulemaking will be published in the Federal Register. OMB reviews can take anywhere from weeks to months. LL
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