What Trump’s New EO Means For America’s Truck Drivers

by Sharelle Burt

May 2, 2025

The order is a part of the Trump administration’s efforts to make English the ‘official language’ of the United States

CBS News Miami reports that truck drivers who aren’t proficient in English risk losing their jobs after President Donald Trump’s latest executive order.

The latest mandate, signed April 28, requires truck drivers operating on U.S. highways to be able to read traffic signs and communicate with both law enforcement and safety officials. Under the order, “proficiency” is understanding road signage and interacting with agencies such as traffic safety departments, border patrol, and agricultural checkpoints. 

The order will start to be enforced in 60 days. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) says drivers who don’t meet those expectations could be at risk of being pulled from the road. 

But what does that mean for those who don’t meet that standard? Truckers’ opinions vary.

Russell Rocha, a 17-year driver, supports the rule, describing being unable to read a sign as “a little dangerous.” However, Yoman Rivera, a Miami-based trucker with 15 years of experience, calls the order “awful.”

“I never had an issue with English,” he said. 

According to the USA Today network, the order is a part of the Trump administration’s efforts to make English the “official language” of the United States. However, with the trucking industry already facing a heightened demand with tariff wars brewing, the new rule could result in a slowdown.

For Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the law is simply about putting truck drivers first and using logic.

“Federal law is clear, a driver who cannot sufficiently read or speak English—our national language—and understand road signs is unqualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle in America,” Duffy said. “This commonsense standard should never have been abandoned. This Department will always put America’s truck drivers first.” 

Duffy justified the rule by saying there are data linking fatal crashes to drivers’ language barriers.

English proficiency is already a requirement for commercial truck drivers. It just directs the Transportation Secretary to enforce the law and review “state issuance of non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses to identify any irregularities,” guaranteeing “American drivers are validly licensed and qualified.”

The Trump administration claims the law was paused in 2016 after inspectors were instructed not to remove lawbreakers from service.

With job loss being a top risk under the executive order, Rivera predicted that “the consumer is the one who will suffer.”

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