As state and federal officials prepare to strictly enforce English rules for commercial drivers in the coming weeks, many immigrant truckers across the country are speaking out and calling the rule unfair.
But people in the industry say knowing basic English is important for safety.
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Carlos Manuel, a Florida truck driver, said his English is limited, but he’s “still able to handle my work.”
“Maybe most of us aren’t good at English, but we can do the job,” said Manuel, 34.
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Like many other fields, the trucking industry has been diversifying its labor force in recent years by employing more foreign-born truck drivers. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 18% of U.S. truck drivers are foreign-born.
Language barriers can affect communication with dispatchers or law enforcement, or during emergencies, especially in states with busy roads, experts said. Florida is one of them. The state has one of the highest shares of intrastate shipments by value, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
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“Drivers are expected to be able to communicate with law enforcement and weigh station officers during inspections and agricultural checkpoints to ensure they understand and are following federal regulations, including being able to make entries on records,” Miller said.
George O‘Connor, director of communications of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, said the order is a matter of safety. The group is the largest national trade association representing small-business trucking professionals and independent truckers.
“We have and will continue to approach English language proficiency squarely as a highway safety issue,” O‘Connor said. “This is entirely about the safety of all road users.”
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“The incident demonstrates how someone can ultimately obtain, despite federal regulations, a commercial driver‘s license without speaking or reading English,” O‘Connor said. “It also demonstrates the deadly consequences.”
Last week, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance voted to place truck drivers out of service for English proficiency violations. While the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration sets the rules for the trucking industry, the Alliance has authority to warrant placing a driver out of service.
“I cannot, at this time, speak to the impact on industry,” said
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Some truckers are already worried about the potential effects, and haven’t wasted time making it known on social platforms like TikTok. Rene Rios, a trucker in Los Angeles, said on TikTok that some of his friends may sell their trucks because they don’t speak English.
Another user, Evelyn Davila, who goes by the screen name Evelyn86, said the rule will hurt many immigrant families.
“It’s not fair,” said Davila, a Cuban trucker in Florida, who has spent the last four years on the road working with her husband. “We’ve been driving these roads for years. What difference does it make now?”
* Original Article:
https://www.tampabay.com/news/2025/05/12/trumps-order-that-truckers-speak-english-good-thing-experts-say/