Bill would give all Wyoming law enforcement ability to cite drivers without sufficient English Language Proficiency

A bill that would give all Wyoming law enforcement the ability to cite truck drivers without sufficient English Language Proficiency is set to enter the House of Representatives.

House Bill 32 was advanced by a legislative committee on Tuesday, January 10th through a unanimous vote. 

According to Cowboy State Daily, if made into a law, the bill would give all Wyoming law enforcement the ability to enforce English Language Proficiency standards for truck drivers. Officers would be tasked with administering the ELP test, which requires truck drivers to be able to read and speak english well enough to communicate with the general public, understand all road signs and signals, properly respond to questions from officers, and make logbook entries. 

Any truck driver found violating the ELP rules the first time would receive a $1,000 fine and be banned from driving commercial vehicles in the state of Wyoming until they were able to demonstrate appropriate English Language Proficiency. If caught operating a commercial vehicle while under the ban, drivers could be charged with a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail and $1,000 in fines. 

Currently, only federally-certified inspectors with the Wyoming Highway Patrol deal with ELP violations. Those inspectors have logged 775 ELP violations with 19 arrests since the rule’s implementation in June 2025. 

The bill will move to the house through unanimous vote, but legislators still voiced concern over the lack of consequences for the trucking companies who hire the drivers without proper ELP credentials. 

“We don’t do anything to the supplier – the bad actors you’re pointing out in a highly-respected industry, really,” said Representative Lloyd Larsen. “I still think that’s the gap overall.”

Last week, Congress passed a bill to codify the ELP rule into federal law.