Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Friday that the Trump administration is stepping up enforcement of a long-standing federal requirement that commercial truck drivers be able to read and speak English well enough to understand road signs and communicate with officials. Speaking during a visit to Monroe County, Wisconsin, alongside Rep. Derrick Van Orden, Duffy also highlighted about $8.4 million earmarked for local transportation improvements.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy traveled to Monroe County, Wisconsin, on Friday with Rep. Derrick Van Orden, a Republican who represents much of the area, to discuss roadway safety and infrastructure spending.
During the visit, Duffy pointed to a long-standing federal driver-qualification rule requiring commercial motor vehicle operators to be able to read and speak English sufficiently to understand traffic signs and communicate with the public and law enforcement. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) guidance issued under the Trump administration has moved to strengthen how that rule is enforced, including restoring the possibility that inspectors can place a driver “out of service” for failing to meet English-language proficiency requirements.
“We have a longstanding rule that you have to speak English if you’re going to have a commercial driver’s license,” Duffy said at the event. “And the Obama administration had put a slap on the wrist for that offense. We brought a penalty back for not being able to be English proficient in the cab.”
Duffy and Van Orden also highlighted roughly $8.4 million allocated for infrastructure improvements tied to Monroe County and the Sparta area. Van Orden’s office and local reporting have described the funding as supporting freight-corridor and multimodal improvements intended to enhance safety and access to regional destinations such as Fort McCoy and the Tomah VA.
The renewed enforcement push builds on FMCSA’s position that the English-language requirement has remained on the books for decades, but that enforcement practices changed in 2016, when the Obama administration directed inspectors not to place drivers out of service solely for English-proficiency violations. The Trump administration has since moved to reverse that approach, arguing it is necessary for highway safety and effective communication during roadside inspections and crash investigations.
