USDOT threatens to yank federal funding from three states for failure to enforce English proficiency rules for truck drivers

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) says that California, Washington, and New Mexico stand to lose federal transportation funding if they do not enforce English Language Proficiency (ELP) requirements for commercial motor vehicle drivers. 

States Have 30 Days To Begin ELP Enforcement: USDOT

On Tuesday, August 26, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that California, Washington, and New Mexico have 30 days to come into compliance with enforcement of ELP rules for commercial vehicle drivers. If the states do not comply, Duffy says that USDOT will withhold “up to 100% of funding from the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP).”

“States don’t get to pick and choose which federal safety rules to follow,” said Duffy. “As we saw with the horrific Florida crash that killed three, when states fail to enforce the law, they put the driving public in danger. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are taking aggressive action to close these safety gaps, hold states accountable, and make sure every commercial driver on the road is qualified to operate a 40-ton vehicle.” 

The agency’s threat to withhold funding comes in the wake of a fatal August 12 crash on the Florida Turnpike that allegedly involved an illegal U-turn performed by Harjinder Singh, 28. USDOT later declared that Singh failed an ELP test and that California, Washington, and New Mexico, also failed in enforcing CDL and ELP standards with regard to Singh.

FMCSA Finds “Significant Failures” In ELP Enforcement

USDOT went on to reveal results from a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) investigation that showed “significant failures by all three states to follow federal guidelines to properly place drivers out-of-service for ELP violations.”

Between June 25 to August 21, 2025, FMCSA investigators uncovered the following:

• California – California has failed to adopt and enforce compatible ELP laws and regulations. From June 25, 2025 through August 21, 2025, of the roughly 34,000 inspections resulting in at least one reported violation, only one inspection involved an ELP violation resulting in a driver being placed out of service. Notably, at least 23 drivers with documented ELP out-of-service violations in other states were later inspected in California – yet the state failed to honor those violations or enforce ELP, allowing unqualified drivers to continue operating on our roads.
• Washington – Washington has adopted the ELP regulation but is failing to enforce it. From June 25, 2025 through August 21, 2025, of the more than 6,000 inspections resulting in at least one reported violation, only four inspections involved an ELP violation resulting in a driver being placed out of service. Moreover, two inspections resulted in ELP citations but the driver was not placed out-of-service—contrary to Federal requirements. In addition, at least 4 drivers with documented ELP out-of-service violations in other states were later inspected in Washington – yet the state failed to honor those violations or enforce ELP, undermining federal safety standards and leaving dangerous gaps in enforcement.
• New Mexico – New Mexico has adopted the ELP regulation but is failing to enforce it. From June 25, 2025 through August 21, 2025 the state reported placing zero drivers out-of-service for ELP violations and allowed at least seven unqualified drivers already found unable to meet ELP standards to keep driving and endangering the lives of others. 

USDOT continues work on a nationwide audit into state policies for issuing non-domiciled CDLs initiated in late June.

Trucking groups including the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) spoke out in favor of USDOT’s proposed action against the three states.

“OOIDA strongly supports Secretary Duffy’s action to enforce long-standing English proficiency requirements for commercial drivers,” said OOIDA President Todd Spencer. “Basic English skills are critical for safely operating a commercial motor vehicle—reading road signs, following emergency instructions, and communicating with law enforcement are not optional. The fatal crash in Florida this month tragically illustrates what’s at stake. Road signs save lives, but only when they’re understood. Operating an 80,000-pound vehicle without being able to read road signs isn’t just dangerous, it’s completely unacceptable. We join USDOT in calling on California, New Mexico, Washington, and all other states to enforce English Language Proficiency requirements as an out-of-service violation. This is common sense and it protects everyone on the road.”