USDOT boss touts removal of more than 11,500 unqualified truck drivers from the road
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says that thousands of truck drivers have been taken off the road for failure to comply with tightened federal standards.
In a January 14 social media post, Duffy said that over 11,500 unqualified truck drivers had been removed from the road.
Duffy regularly shares updates through his social media channels on how many truck drivers have been sidelined for failure to demonstrate English Language Proficiency (ELP) since the violation was returned to status as an out-of-service violation by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance on June 25, 2025.
According to a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) database that aggregates roadside inspection violation data from across the country, the latest tally of nationwide out-of-service ELP violations is 10,530.
On December 10, 2025, Duffy reported that 9,500 truck drivers had been removed from the road for ELP violations.
We’ve now knocked 9,500 truck drivers out of service for failing to speak our national language — ENGLISH!
This administration will always put you and your family’s safety first. https://t.co/mRVsMI26Ir
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) December 10, 2025
While long-standing federal law requires truck drivers to possess enough proficiency in English to communicate with law enforcement and read road signs, enforcement of the rule was relaxed in 2016 after an FMCSA memo directed law enforcement agencies not to take truck drivers out-of-service for language proficiency issues.
An April 2025 White House Executive Order (EO) demanded increased enforcement of federal English-language requirements for truck drivers and sparked the push for the return of stricter language standards for commercial vehicle drivers.