A semi-truck driver, implicated in the deaths of three Americans due to an illegal U-turn in Florida, failed an English language test and struggled to identify highway traffic signs correctly.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is investigating the fatal accident in Florida that claimed three lives.
During an interview, the driver, identified as Harjinder Singh, underwent an English Language Proficiency (ELP) assessment. He failed the test, answering correctly to only 2 out of 12 verbal questions and accurately recognizing just 1 of 4 traffic signs, according to the DOT’s statement.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated, “If states had adhered to regulations, this driver would not have been on the road and three valuable lives would still be with us. This crash was an avoidable disaster caused by reckless actions and significant failures. The lack of enforcement and extreme immigration policies have made the trucking industry dangerously unregulated, resulting in unqualified foreign drivers obtaining licenses for operating 40-ton vehicles.”
The press release disclosed that on July 15, 2023, Washington State issued Singh a standard full-term Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), followed by a “limited-term/non-domiciled CDL” in California on July 23, 2024.
State Troopers have issued a criminal arrest warrant for the driver, Harjinder Singh, on three counts of vehicular homicide. Their investigation, in collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), revealed that Singh entered the U.S. illegally from Mexico in 2018 and later acquired a Commercial Driver’s License in California.
According to Breitbart News, the incident occurred on August 12 near Fort Pierce, Florida, when Singh allegedly crossed all traffic lanes while trying to make an illegal U-turn via an “official use only” opening in the Florida Turnpike.
This incident adds to a concerning trend of fatal accidents involving foreign truck drivers. Former President Donald Trump had previously signed an executive order emphasizing that English proficiency should be a fundamental safety criterion for professional drivers, allowing them to understand traffic signs and communicate effectively with authorities.
