Congressional Republicans are trying to further codify English language proficiency requirements in the trucking industry.
English language proficiency has been a federal requirement for Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)-regulated motor carriers since 1936, before FMCSA itself. However, the requirement was often unenforced until the Trump administration’s push for English proficiency enforcement earlier this year. A number of regulations have been proposed by Republican lawmakers since then in order to enhance English enforcement further.
At least four lawmakers have proposed bills that would impose additional English proficiency requirements for commercial vehicle operators this year.
Three of the bills target the commercial driver’s license (CDL) issuing process. Two of these bills came in the wake of a viral, deadly crash in Florida in August, which was caused by a reckless truck driver who received a CDL despite being an illegal immigrant with limited English proficiency.
House Representative Byron Donalds (R-Florida) introduced the Weigh station Enforcement to Intercept and Guard Highways (WEIGH) Act on September 9, which would require English proficiency enforcement “on each commercial vehicle that enters a weigh station.”
Senator Ashley Moody (R-Florida) introduced the Safe Truckers Act on September 3, which requires all CDL holders to be lawfully present in the U.S. and mandates that CDL-issuing states submit reports detailing their enforcement of English proficiency requirements..
On June 18, Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) introduced the Commercial Motor Vehicle English Proficiency Act, cosponsored by Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi), which would implement a formal English proficiency testing system in order to receive a CDL.
On May 23, Representative David Taylor (R-Ohio) introduced Connor’s Law, which would codify the rule for CDL issuance qualifications.
All these proposed bills have been referred to Congressional committees; as of the time of writing, none have passed their committees to a floor vote. Only about 3% of Congressional bills are passed, meaning these codified English requirements are unlikely to reach the president’s desk.
