Funding Withholdings Over English Proficiency
On Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced plans to withhold $40 million from California, citing the state’s failure to enforce English language requirements for truck drivers. This decision follows an investigation triggered by a fatal crash in Florida involving a foreign truck driver who made an illegal U-turn on August 12.
Duffy criticized California for its inadequate enforcement of rules related to English proficiency, which were established in June as part of an executive order from President Donald Trump. The driver involved in the Florida crash had obtained a commercial license from California, despite the existing English requirements predating the incident.
Duffy stated that truckers should be disqualified if they cannot demonstrate adequate English skills, asserting that the involved driver should not have received a commercial license due to immigration status. The issue has escalated politically, with mutual criticisms exchanged between the governors of California and Florida, and Duffy emphasizing immigration concerns in various interviews.
“California is the only state that does not ensure truck drivers can understand road signs or communicate with law enforcement, which poses a serious safety risk,” Duffy declared.
In response, California defended its practices to the Transportation Department; however, federal officials expressed dissatisfaction. Following the announcement, Governor Gavin Newsom’s office quickly pushed back, highlighting that California truck drivers have a lower accident rate compared to the national average.
Duffy pointed out that despite California conducting around 34,000 inspections since the new standards took effect, only one inspection revealed an English language violation leading to a driver being taken out of service. The Transportation Department has stated that California must formalize its English language regulations and ensure state inspectors are assessing drivers’ English skills during roadside checks.
Legal and Immigration Issues Surrounding the Crash
The crash on August 12 resulted in three fatalities when truck driver Harjinder Singh made an illegal U-turn and collided with a minivan. Singh is currently being held, charged with three counts of vehicular homicide and other immigration violations. Duffy and Florida officials have placed responsibility on California and Washington state for granting Singh a commercial driver’s license, despite California asserting that he had a valid work permit at the time.
