U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is taking action against the state of California for failure to comply with English Language Proficiency (ELP) standards for commercial vehicle drivers.
On October 15, 2025, Duffy announced that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will withhold $40,685,225 from Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) funding from California.
Duffy said that the funding was being withheld after an FMCSA investigation showed that California was not in compliance with federal ELP enforcement requirements.
In August 2026, Duffy warned California, Washington, and New Mexico that they had 30 days to come into compliance with ELP enforcement rules for commercial vehicle drivers, and that failure would result in the withholding of MCSAP funding.
USDOT said in August that the FMCSA investigation revealed the following “failures” in California’s ELP enforcement:
“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.“
In order to have the funding restored, Duffy said that California “must adopt and actively enforce a law, regulation, standard, or order that is compatible with the federal ELP requirement for commercial drivers. This means state inspectors need to begin conducting ELP assessments during roadside inspections and place those who fail out-of-service.”
MCSAP funds roadside inspections, traffic enforcement, safety audits of trucking companies, and public education campaigns.
“I put states on notice this summer: enforce the Trump Administration’s English language requirements or the checks stop coming. California is the only state in the nation that refuses to ensure big rig drivers can read our road signs and communicate with law enforcement. This is a fundamental safety issue that impacts you and your family on America’s road,” said Duffy.
“Let me be clear – this is valuable money that should be going to the great men and women in California law enforcement, who we support. Gov. Newsom’s insistence on obstructing federal law has tied my hands,” Duffy said.
In June 2025, non-compliance with existing federal regulations requiring commercial vehicle operators to be proficient in English once again became an out-of-service violation after President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) targeting several trucking industry issues, including a call for tightened English-language proficiency requirements for commercial vehicle drivers. The EO called for a reversal on a 2016 memo that directed law enforcement not to place truck drivers out-of-service for ELP violations.