A new bill referred to as “Connor’s Law” would codify President Donald Trump’s executive order that requires CDL holders to communicate English well enough to operate safely.
Rep. Dave Taylor, R-Ohio, introduced HR3608 earlier this month. Reps. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo.; Mike Collins, R-Ga.; Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.; Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas; and Brad Finstad, R-Minn., signed on as co-sponsors.
Connor’s Law refers to Connor Dzion, who died at the age of 18 in a crash involving a tractor-trailer. A separate accident caused Dzion to be stuck in traffic for about an hour when a truck driver crashed into a line of stopped vehicles. The truck driver was said to be unable to read English and reportedly passed signs set up by Florida law enforcement warning of the crash ahead.
“It’s Ohio common sense that if you want to drive trucks on our nation’s roads, you should be able to read the road signs,” Taylor said in a news release. “Tragic deaths like Connor’s are absolutely preventable, and it starts with ensuring drivers operating large and heavy commercial vehicles are capable of being alerted to hazards and updates on the road. President Trump demonstrated leadership through his executive order requiring CDL drivers to speak English, which paved the way for driver safety, and I’m proud to introduce this bill to codify it and do the same.”
On April 28, Trump issued an executive order to enforce existing federal law that requires commercial vehicle drivers to “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.”
The law is not intended for truck drivers to be extensively fluent in English but does require them to know enough to interpret warnings and operate safely.
“Requiring truck drivers to be proficient in reading and speaking the English language is just common sense,” Hageman said. “Driving some of the biggest rigs on our highway systems, often in inclement weather, creates risk enough, but this liability is exacerbated when truck drivers can neither read our highway signs nor clearly communicate with others on the road, thereby putting everyone in danger.”
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association supports Taylor’s bill.
“OOIDA and the 150,000 truckers we proudly represent strongly support the enforcement of English proficiency requirements for commercial drivers because it saves lives,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer said. “Basic English skills are essential for reading critical road signs, understanding emergency instructions and interacting with law enforcement. Road signs are effective – but only when they’re understood. We thank Rep. Taylor for his leadership on this issue because English proficiency is not optional – it’s crucial for keeping America’s roads safe for the entire traveling public.” LL
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