>> Continued From the Previous Page <<
The consequences were deadly. Fatal truck crashes jumped nearly 30% from 4,500 deaths in 2016 to 5,837 annually by 2022 — a spike that coincided directly with the loosening of enforcement.¹
Even individual states felt the impact. Wyoming Highway Patrol recorded 410 English proficiency violations during commercial vehicle inspections in fiscal 2024 alone.² The numbers paint a grim picture Democrats tried to hide.
Federal law has long required commercial drivers to read and speak English “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.”³ Obama’s memo effectively ignored this law, putting every American on the highway at risk.
Trump and Duffy Restore Safety Protections
President Trump acted swiftly in April, signing an executive order directing the Department of Transportation to restore enforcement and designate English as America’s official language. Secretary Duffy wasted no time. Drivers who fail English requirements are now taken out of service immediately.
“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 have never been abandoned.”⁴
The dangers were all too real. In 2019, Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, a Cuban-born driver requiring a translator in court, sped down I-70 near Lakewood, Colorado, ignoring warnings about steep grades. His truck collided in a massive pileup, killing four and injuring dozens.⁵
Earlier this year, West Virginia saw a similar tragedy when Sukhjinder Singh, another driver who required an interpreter, fled an accident scene before a fatal bridge collision.⁶ The pattern is clear: drivers who can’t read highway signs or communicate with authorities are a deadly threat.
Democrats Prioritized Cheap Labor Over Safety
States led by Democrats resisted enforcement, protecting a pool of cheap labor for trucking companies. California, for example, handed out commercial licenses like candy, even to drivers who couldn’t speak English. Federal audits revealed the state had the worst non-compliance nationwide.⁷
Duffy acted decisively. After uncovering systematic violations in California, more than 17,000 licenses were revoked in September — growing to 21,000 by December.⁸
The crackdown wasn’t limited to language. Nearly 3,000 CDL training providers were removed from the federal registry in December for falsifying records or failing to meet curriculum standards. Another 4,500 received warnings.⁹
In states like Texas, Oklahoma, and Indiana, law enforcement arrested illegal foreign nationals operating commercial vehicles without proper credentials. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol alone took 120 drivers off the road, all with criminal histories including DUI, human smuggling, assault, and drug trafficking.¹⁰
“The alarming trend of illegal aliens who are unlawfully present in the United States operating commercial vehicles raises significant safety concerns,” Acting Buffalo Sector Chief Border Patrol Agent James D’Amato said. “Drivers who are not fluent or with little to no ability to speak or read English pose a serious risk on our roadways.”¹¹
Despite Democrat complaints about potential trucking disruptions, enforcement earned praise from industry groups.
“Basic English skills are essential for reading critical road signs, understanding emergency instructions, and interacting with law enforcement,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer said. “Road signs save lives but only when they’re understood.”¹²
Restoring Safety to American Roads
Obama and Biden’s policies imported cheap labor at the cost of highway safety. Fatal truck crashes soared nearly 50% in under a decade.
Now, Trump and Duffy are reversing that damage, enforcing English proficiency, revoking dangerous licenses, and putting American lives first. The message is clear: unsafe drivers have no place on U.S. roads.
