Texas Transportation Code loophole to blame for significant number of drivers who don’t speak English, industry leaders say 

Trucking industry leaders say that there is mostly Texas to blame for a significant number of truck drivers who hit the road without speaking English. 

A new report compiled by American Truckers United (ATU) states that Texas is to blame for a huge percentage of out of service orders for truck drivers due to lack of English proficiency. The graph was posted to X on August 29th, and shows the number of truck drivers placed out of service for lack of English proficiency over the last 10 weeks, broken down by state. 

The state with the most OOS orders for truck drivers due to failed ELP is Texas, with nearly 800 drivers placed OOS over the last ten weeks. Second place for most OOS drivers due to ELP is Illinois with fewer than 350, considerably less than Texas. California comes in at third place with fewer than 250 drivers placed OOS. However, there are reports that officers in California are showing more leniency with truck drivers who lack skills in English than other states. 

As of May 20th, 2025, Texas DPS Commercial Vehicle Enforcement has informed inspectors that the English Proficiency protocol “will only apply to motor carriers engaged in interstate operations,” meaning trucking companies that only operate within Texas are exempt from the requirements. This exemption comes from a decades-old loophole written into the Texas Transportation code when logging and rock-hauling industries were struggling to find drivers for these short hauls within the state of Texas, reported WFAA.

On August 30th, ATU made another post, stating that “Texas is largely responsible for the truck drivers that don’t speak English on America’s roadways. They are predominately originating from the state of Texas. Texas is admittedly not enforcing the ELP violation for what they call Intrastate loads. It appears they also aren’t enforcing interstate loads because the other states are popping them.”

Texas Trucking Association President and CEO John D. Esparza, agrees that truck drivers not understanding English is a safety issue, but says that the new federal guidance only applies to interstate laws. “Any changes to intrastate laws are in the purview of Texas lawmakers and would require Texas laws to change,” he said.

In response to the recent accusations that Texas is to blame, Governor Abbott’s spokesman, Andrew Mahaleris, gave the following statement to Breitbart Texas: “Governor Abbott expects trucking companies in Texas to fully comply with President Trump’s Executive Order. Public safety is priority #1, and we must ensure that truckers are able to navigate Texas roadways safely and efficiently.”

It is unclear how Governor Abbott plans to enforce compliance for all trucking companies in Texas.