English-only proficiency now a clearer requirement for employment in trucking industry

The Department of Transportation (DOT) wants U.S. truck drivers to speak and understand English. 

President Donald Trump’s recent executive order saying truckers who don’t read and speak English proficiently would be considered unfit for service is causing ripples of concern within the industry.

“A driver who can’t understand English will not drive a commercial vehicle in this country. Period,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in announcing enforcement guidelines that took effect recently.

This revised policy reverses guidance issued nine years ago, near the end of then-President Barack Obama’s final term, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

In 2016, FMCSA ruled drivers whose English skills were found lacking could receive a citation but not be prohibited from working. Before that, the penalty was getting placed in “out-of-service” status.

“We have bridges that get hit because drivers don’t understand the signs on the bridges for things like height clearance,” Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association President Todd Spencer recently told the Associated Press.

Trucking management interests are worried the English-only rule will exacerbate the driver shortage within the trucking industry. Estimates vary, but there are worries the industry could be as many as 80,000 applicants short throughout the industry.

Shippers should be aware of the new order because of its effect on rates, according to Ken Adamo, chief of analytics at DAT Solutions, a transport data firm.

If you're interested in tracking potential impacts from the English Language Proficiency enforcement or non-domicile CDL audit, Texas intrastate dry van spot rates is one place to look, Adamo said recently in a social media post.

“We know that about 1.5% of Texas CDLs issued over the last several years have been to non-domiciled applicants,” said Adamo. He noted Texas also shares a large border with Mexico.  It's reasonable to expect that what we see in Texas will prove to be true in other states with similar driver demographics. “We haven't seen much of a change yet, but enforcement just started (in late June),” Adamo said.  The first look at the number of OOS violations will come in about three weeks once the FMCSA data updates, he added.

But the new rule is apparently a big hit with American-born, English-speaking truck drivers.

The English-only move is extremely popular with American truck drivers. According to a poll by Overdrive magazine a whopping 94% of respondents supported the English-language proficiency (ELP) requirement. Also, a big majority was in favor of the return of the violation to the out of service criteria.

“Let's face it, they are driving an 80,000-pound missile on our highways,” wrote one commenter in the Overdrive survey. If they lack ELP, “our national security is at risk.”

Updated DOT procedures now call for enhanced inspections to determine if commercial motor vehicle operators can reply to questions and directions in English, as well as understand highway traffic signs and electronic message boards.

Truckers who learned English as a second language (ESL) are worried they may lose their jobs if they make a mistake or speak with a heavy accent while under questioning. Some are working to improve their English fluency by taking classes, reciting scripts and watching instructional videos.

“If it’s not the language that you prefer to use daily, you may get a little nervous and you may feel, ‘What if I say the wrong thing?’” Jerry Maldonado, chairman of the board of the Laredo Motor Carriers Association, a trade association in Laredo, Texas, that represents approximately 200 trucking companies told the AP. “It’s going to be, at the end of the day, the interpretation of the officer, so that makes people nervous.”

In Laredo, a border city where many residents speak a mix of English and Spanish, Maldonado’s association is offering free English classes on weekends to help truckers feel more confident in their ability to communicate.

The guidance applies to truck and bus drivers engaged in interstate commerce. Requiring truck drivers to speak and read English isn’t new, but the penalty for not meeting the proficiency standard is becoming more severe.

To get a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), applicants must pass a written test and be able to name the parts of a bus or truck in English as they check tire inflation, tread depth, lug nuts and coolants.

Roadside inspections can be initiated over issues such as a faulty brake light, and often take place at weigh stations.

The guidance directs inspectors who suspect a driver doesn’t understand what they’re saying to administer an English proficiency test, which includes both an interview and a highway traffic sign recognition component.

In the past, some drivers used translation apps to communicate with federal inspectors. The updated policy bars use of interpreters, smartphones, cue cards or other aids during interviews.

It’s unclear how safety inspectors will decide whether a driver knows enough English. That’s because that portion of the instructions was redacted from the guidance distributed by Transportation Department.

A trucker placed out of service and the company they work for are responsible for ensuring a language violation is corrected before the driver hits the highway again, according to the DOT.