More than 7,000 truck drivers have been placed out of service across the United States this year after failing mandatory English proficiency tests, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced. The crackdown, which has disproportionately impacted Indian and Indian-origin drivers, follows a string of highway accidents involving South Asian truckers.
According to data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), as of October 2025, 7,248 drivers have been removed from active service — a steep rise from around 1,500 drivers in July, reflecting intensified roadside enforcement since the reinstatement of the rule earlier this year.
Indian-origin truckers hit hardest
The new measures have hit the Indian trucking community particularly hard. Estimates from the North American Punjabi Truckers Association (NAPTA) suggest that between 1.3 lakh and 1.5 lakh of the truck drivers working in the US hail from Punjab and Haryana, and thousands have been affected by the English-language requirement.
The rule mandates that all Commercial Driver’s Licence (CDL) holders demonstrate adequate proficiency in English to communicate with the public, interpret road signs, interact with enforcement authorities, and maintain accurate driving records under 49 CFR 391.11(b)(2).
“Commercial truck drivers must speak and understand English to operate — or they will be taken out of service,” Duffy wrote on X (formerly Twitter), reiterating the administration’s stance that language proficiency is a core safety standard.
Rule reinstated under Trump’s executive order
The enforcement stems from President Donald Trump’s 2025 executive order, which revived and expanded a 2016 Obama-era guideline that had earlier barred inspectors from sidelining drivers solely over language limitations.
The Transportation Department reinstated the rule in June 2025, instructing state enforcement agencies to immediately disqualify drivers who fail English communication tests during roadside inspections or compliance checks.
According to FreightWaves, a logistics price reporting agency, at least 5,006 English language-related out-of-service violations were recorded through October — a number that continues to climb as more states adopt stricter enforcement.
Series of fatal crashes trigger crackdown
The policy gained renewed urgency after a spate of highway accidents involving Indian drivers, including a California pileup in October in which an Indian trucker was accused of killing three Americans.
In another case, a Florida Turnpike crash claimed three lives when a tractor-trailer driven by an illegal immigrant from India made a dangerous U-turn. Reports later revealed that the driver had repeatedly failed his CDL test before securing a California license.
Texas currently leads the country in the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs, allowing foreign drivers to legally operate commercial vehicles within the US — a system now under tighter scrutiny.
Critics say policy unfair to bilingual drivers
While federal officials insist the rule enhances road safety, industry leaders and immigrant-rights groups argue it unfairly penalises bilingual and non-native English speakers who have maintained clean driving records for years.
“We have drivers who’ve been safely operating for years, but now they’re being put out of service because they can’t respond in English fast enough during a roadside stop,” said Adalberto Campero, CEO of Unimex, a Texas-based logistics firm.
“It’s not a safety issue — it’s a communication style issue. These drivers know the regulations, the routes, and the customers, but now they’re sidelined over language perception,” he added.
Sikh advocacy groups raise alarm
The Sikh Coalition, a prominent civil rights advocacy group, criticised the Trump administration’s latest Interim Final Rule (IFR), warning that the move could strip nearly 1.94 lakh immigrant truck drivers of their licenses and jobs.
“This change isn’t being made on the basis of drivers’ English language proficiency or safety record,” the group said in a statement. “It’s an attempt to remove non-domiciled CDL holders from the workforce under the guise of public safety.”
With Sikh drivers making up nearly 90% of Indian-origin truckers in the US, the crackdown has sparked widespread concern in the community.
Impact on supply chains and economy
Industry analysts warn that sidelining thousands of truckers could strain America’s supply chain, already grappling with driver shortages and rising freight costs. Trucking associations have urged the Department of Transportation to introduce a grace period or multilingual training modules instead of blanket disqualifications.
However, Duffy maintains that ensuring English proficiency remains non-negotiable for national highway safety. “We can’t compromise when lives are at risk,” he said in his latest post.