English Proficiency Enforced: FMCSA Has New Official Guidelines

FMCSA to Enforce English Proficiency for Truck Drivers

New English Proficiency Rule Starts June 25

Federal safety inspectors will soon begin enforcing a new English proficiency rule. Starting June 25, 2025, truck drivers who cannot speak or understand English well enough during inspections may be taken off the road immediately.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) released a new enforcement policy. It explains how English proficiency will be tested. This change replaces a 2016 policy that only allowed inspectors to issue citations for English issues without taking drivers out of service.

English Proficiency Tests Part of Roadside Inspections

All FMCSA roadside inspections will now begin in English. If an inspector thinks a driver does not understand what is being said, the inspector must begin an English proficiency test. This test includes two parts:

1. Driver Interview – The inspector will ask the driver simple questions in English. The driver must answer in English. “Tools to facilitate communication such as interpreters, I-Speak cards, cue cards, smart phone applications, and On-Call Telephone Interpretation Service should not be used during the driver interview, as those tools may mask a driver’s inability to communicate in English.”  The inspector will decide if the driver can answer official questions clearly in English.
2. Highway Sign Test – If the driver passes the interview, the inspector may give a second test. This test checks if the driver understands U.S. road signs. This includes standard signs and “electronic-display changeable (a.k.a.“dynamic”) message signs the driver may encounter while operating a CMV.” Drivers must be able to recognize and explain the meaning of these signs.

If the driver cannot complete the interview in English, they will not move on to the second part. The inspector will cite the driver for violating 49 CFR § 391.11(b)(2). This regulation says drivers “can read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals in the English language, to respond to official inquiries, and to make entries on reports and records.”

Violations May Lead to Removal From Service

FMCSA says drivers who fail the English test should be placed out of service. This step takes effect once the violation becomes part of the official North American Standard Out-of-Service (OOS) criteria on June 25, 2025.

Inspectors may also begin a process to disqualify the driver from operating in interstate commerce. The agency says stronger action is needed because language problems can create safety risks.

If a driver is placed out of service, the inspector must explain that the driver cannot drive again until the issue is resolved.

Exceptions to the English Proficiency Rule

FMCSA says there are two important exceptions to this rule:

• Border Zones Near Mexico – In zones near the U.S.-Mexico border, inspectors should still issue citations for English violations. However, they should not place those drivers out of service or begin disqualification actions right away.

• Drivers who are deaf or hard of hearing – “English language requirement should not be construed to prohibit operation of a CMV by hearing-impaired drivers who can read and write in the English language but do not speak, for whatever reason, and were granted exemptions by FMCSA.”

English Proficiency Enforcement Linked to Executive Order

The new policy follows Executive Order 14286, signed by President Trump on April 28, 2025. The order is called “Enforcing Commonsense Rules of the Road for America’s Truck Drivers.” It told FMCSA to cancel the 2016 policy and create a new one. The new policy must include the power to take drivers out of service for failing to meet English requirements.

After the order was signed, Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy directed FMCSA to put the change into action. The agency says the update is meant to improve highway safety by making sure all drivers can understand important road information.

On May 1, 2025, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) voted to include English proficiency violations in the out-of-service rules. This decision allowed FMCSA to move forward with enforcement.

Preparing for Compliance

This new enforcement policy only applies to FMCSA inspectors. But all motor carriers are still responsible for following federal English proficiency rules under 49 CFR § 391.11(b)(2). That rule requires drivers to understand and speak English well enough to stay safe on the road.

Inspectors will document every case where a driver cannot respond in English. If the driver fails, they may be taken out of service and could lose the ability to drive in interstate commerce.

FMCSA is encouraging drivers and carriers to prepare now. Once the rule goes into effect on June 25, inspectors will begin enforcement nationwide.