FMCSA data shows 1,212 commercial vehicle drivers taken out-of-service for English Language Proficiency violations
Data released by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) shows that over 1,000 commercial vehicle drivers have been ordered off the road for English Language Proficiency (ELP) violations.
The latest FMCSA data capturing roadside inspection violations nationwide shows that 1,212 commercial vehicle drivers have been ordered out-of-service for failing to meet federal ELP standards so far this year.
The FMCSA reporting comes just weeks after Transporation Secretary Sean Duffy stated:
“Since I took action to enforce language proficiency requirements for truckers, our state partners have put roughly 1,500 unqualified drivers out-of-service.“
Since I took action to enforce language proficiency requirements for truckers, our state partners have put roughly 1,500 unqualified drivers out of service. That’s what I call results!
If you can't read or speak our national language — ENGLISH — we won’t let your truck endanger… https://t.co/TKPcn60ic2
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) July 30, 2025
In Wyoming, troopers reported 125 violations for ELP in July 2025.
Federal law requires that commercial vehicle drivers demonstrate the ability to “read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals in the English language, to respond to official inquiries, and to make entries on reports and record.”
On June 25, 2025, non-compliance with existing federal regulations requiring ELP for commercial vehicle drivers was returned to status as an out-of-service violation after the reversal of a 2016 Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) memo that directed law enforcement not to place truck drivers out-of-service for ELP violations.
Drivers who are pulled over for roadside inspections may now be subject to language proficiency testing by law enforcement, including an interview to evaluate the driver’s ability to respond sufficiently to official inquiries and directions in English and a Highway Traffic Sign Assessment.