Federal officials say California’s failure to enforce a long-standing English-language requirement for commercial truck drivers poses a danger to interstate highways and public safety.
The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) announced on Oct. 15 that it will withhold $40.6 million from California for failing to enforce new English-language proficiency requirements for commercial truck-driver licenses.
Secretary Sean Duffy said 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.”
Under federal regulation, 49 CFR 391.11(b)(2), commercial-motor-vehicle drivers must be able to “read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals … to respond to official inquiries, and to make entries on reports and records.”
In April 2025, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14286 directing the DOT to enforce those standards and rescind a 2016 guidance that had largely frozen out-of-service enforcement for non-English-proficient drivers.
Beginning June 25, 2025, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance added English proficiency to its out-of-service criteria: first a conversational interview, then a highway-sign recognition test.
According to DOT records, California conducted about 34,000 inspections since the new English-proficiency standards took effect, but only one driver was placed out of service for failing the English standard, despite at least 23 drivers with documented violations in other states being allowed to continue driving in California, according to the AP.
Additional states, Washington and New Mexico, have also been cited for lack of enforcement, but face lesser funding threats.
California claims it “properly enforces” the requirement through its Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) issuance process and points out its licensed truck drivers have a fatal-crash rate nearly 40 percent below the national average, according to Reuters.
But federal officials say the lack of inspections or out-of-service orders undercuts national safety standards and creates a potentially dangerous weak spot on the nation’s highway.
Proponents of the English-proficiency enforcement argue that heavy commercial vehicles weighing up to 80,000 pounds require drivers who can read road signs, understand instructions, and respond to law-enforcement queries without delay.
As noted by Todd Spencer of the Owner‑Operator Independent Drivers Association, “Basic English skills are essential for reading critical road signs, understanding emergency instructions, and interacting with law enforcement… Road signs save lives—but only when they’re understood.”
For California, and for every state that allows interstate commercial trucking, the federal message is clear: if you won’t enforce the English-proficiency standard, federal safety-program funds may be at risk.
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