While Kevinson Jean, a Haitian immigrant, used English during his truck driver training, he felt insecure during his commercial driver’s license exam. “I worried about mispronouncing words,” shared Jean, who drives about 100,000 miles each year. “I feared being laughed at.”
Jean mentioned classmates from Iran who, despite their limited English, passed their exams. “They were hard to understand, yet they succeeded,” he remarked.
Now, such drivers will face roadside English proficiency assessments. On Tuesday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy signed a directive mandating that truck drivers be removed from the roads if they lack English fluency. This directive implements an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on April 28.
Trump’s order amends the long-standing law requiring commercial drivers to “sufficiently read and speak English to converse with the public, understand traffic signs, respond to inquiries, and fill out reports.” Previously, the Obama administration had eased penalties from removal to simply issuing citations.
Duffy emphasized, “A driver who cannot understand English will not operate a vehicle in this country. Period.” This penalty alteration has received backing from industry groups who argue it will enhance road safety. However, many drivers and organizations worry that it will exclude a significant portion of the workforce without handling fundamental issues like compensation, hours, and driver training.
Concerns on Enforcement
The changes have raised alarms among Sikh and Punjabi drivers, according to Mannirmal Kur from the Sikh Coalition. With roughly 150,000 drivers from these backgrounds in the industry, Kur noted that there may be risks of discrimination in enforcing English proficiency. “Could this mean pulling over individuals with accents or those who wear turbans?” she asked, highlighting the potential consequences, including unemployment for those taken out of service.
The industry analysis indicated about 3.8% of the CDL workforce struggles with English proficiency. As the number of foreign-born drivers rises, the industry remains predominantly white and male. Meanwhile, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reported a decrease in large truck accidents and fatalities since 2021.
Jean predicts that this new penalty may deter individuals from pursuing truck driving careers. “It’s tough enough to secure a job without at least a year of experience,” he explained. “Now, on top of that, adding fluency requirements will only lengthen the job search process.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com.
