In an effort to uphold English as the official language of the US, and ensure road safety, President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday mandating US truck drivers to be proficient in the English language.
According to a White House fact sheet, the order will “direct the Secretary of Transportation to rescind guidance that watered down the law requiring English proficiency for commercial drivers.” Fox News’ Will Cain reported that there has been an “influx of foreign-born truckers” in recent years. Cain traced this influx back to former President Barack Obama rescinding English-speaking as a requirement for truckers in 2016.
“Enforcing Commonsense Rules of the Road for America’s Truck Drivers” states:
“Federal law requires that, to operate a commercial vehicle, a driver must 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.”
The order’s main rationale is that “truckers should be able to read and understand traffic signs, communicate with traffic safety, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station officers.” For President Trump, English is “a non-negotiable safety requirement for professional drivers.”
According to the order, drivers “should be able to read and understand traffic signs; communicate with traffic safety officers, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station personnel…”
The White House also emphasized that drivers need to give feedback to their employers and customers – and receive direction from employers – exclusively in English. Drivers who are not proficient in English will be “placed out of service.”
The order goes into effect 60 days from its signing. In March, President Trump also signed an order making English the official language of the United States.
