Trump Admin Mandates English-Only Testing for Commercial Truck, Bus Drivers

The Trump administration is requiring all commercial truck and bus drivers to take their licensing exams in English only as part of a broader safety crackdown. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says the move aims to ensure drivers can read road signs and communicate with police officers effectively.

Commercial truck and bus drivers across the nation will now be mandated to complete their licensing examinations exclusively in English under new federal requirements announced by the Trump administration’s transportation officials.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy revealed the policy change on Friday, emphasizing the need for drivers to possess adequate English skills for reading traffic signage and interacting with police during traffic stops. The state of Florida has already begun implementing English-only testing procedures.

At present, numerous states permit drivers to complete their examinations in alternative languages, despite existing requirements for English language competency. California previously provided testing options in 20 different languages. Duffy noted that several states have contracted external organizations to conduct commercial driving tests, and these third-party entities are failing to uphold proper qualification standards.

“And the third party tester is participating in the scam because they are not adequately testing the people who went through a sham school,” Duffy said.

The Transportation Secretary stressed that Americans expect operators of large commercial vehicles to possess proper qualifications for handling such equipment. Duffy criticized the longstanding neglect of trucking industry problems, stating they were “allowed to rot and no one’s paying attention to it for decades.”

“Once you start to pay attention, you see that all these bad things have been happening. And the consequence of that is that Americans get hurt,” Duffy said. “When we get on the road, we should expect that we should be safe. And that those who drive those 80,000-pound big rigs, that they are well-trained, they’re well-qualified, and they’re going to be safe.”

The comprehensive safety initiative will also target fraudulent trucking operations attempting to enter the industry while maintaining pressure on substandard training facilities and ensuring state compliance with commercial licensing regulations.

This week, the Transportation Department ordered the closure of 557 driver training facilities for failing to satisfy fundamental safety requirements. The agency has intensified enforcement actions against states issuing commercial licenses to immigrants lacking proper qualifications, particularly following a deadly August collision.

According to Duffy, an unauthorized truck operator performed an illegal U-turn in Florida, triggering a fatal accident that claimed three lives. Additional deadly incidents, including a recent Indiana crash that killed four people this month, have amplified safety concerns.

Federal officials plan to strengthen trucking company registration procedures and requirements while increasing Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration inspection frequency at truck stops and driving schools.

Under current regulations, companies need only pay several hundred dollars and provide insurance documentation to obtain operating permits, with audits potentially delayed for a year or longer.

This lenient system has enabled fraudulent operators, dubbed “chameleon carriers” within the industry, to register repeatedly using different business names and simply change identities to evade accountability following accidents or violations.

Authorities are also working to verify the accuracy of electronic logging equipment used by drivers and confirm that states are properly enforcing commercial licensing requirements.

Following the Indiana collision, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration suspended the employing company and revoked operating numbers for two affiliated businesses connected to AJ Partners. Chicago-area companies Tutash Express and Sam Express were also disqualified, while the Aydana driving school attended by the crash-involved driver lost its certification.

Immigration officials detained the driver, a 30-year-old from Kyrgyzstan who allegedly entered the United States illegally. Investigators report he attempted to pass a slower vehicle ahead of him when his truck collided with an approaching van.

In December, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration moved to revoke certification for up to 7,500 of the nation’s 16,000 driving schools, though many of those facilities were already inactive.

Duffy revealed that the companies involved in the Indiana crash were all registered to the same apartment address. In other instances, hundreds of these chameleon operations may share a single registration address.