FMCSA posts redacted guidance on determining English proficiency
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy yesterday signed an order officially announcing U.S. roadside enforcement agencies will begin placing truck drivers out of service, if they can’t demonstrate proficiency in English.
It followed on an executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump in April, and his declaration of English as the official language of the U.S.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) later posted its guidance on the issue online. However, it’s heavily redacted so as to not reveal the questions enforcement officers will pose to drivers at roadside to determine English proficiency. Nonetheless, the guidance can be found here.
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In Canada french or english is okay or the natives indian Languages should be ok. I am happy to this but cross border medical insurance should be required as well. This will put a number of truck drivers in a difficult position to support their the families. The trucking companies that they have been working should have to pay for English classes and living costs while taking these classes if in Canada
First of all, I am for knowing the english language. That is not the point of this new policy! This is not being done for a “safety issue” in my books! This is targeting specific groups for Trump’s racist agenda period! I trucked all throughout the states for years and the number of illiterate homegrown truck drivers born in the USA was very high. I met many especially in the targeted southern states who couldn’t sign their own names on waybills, where this all originated. So my question is are they enforcing this new “Executive” order against any of them? I highly doubt it! I guarantee that only Canadian and Mexican carriers will be the only targets.
I agree 100%.
My father who has been driving 50yrs plus unfortunately has a hard time writing his own language and the English language as per the old school ways of being brought up. He was not able to get his Class one even after paying the whole of the training and going through all the training to find out he could not pass the air brakes course due to written language barriers. If my father who is 100% Canadian born and raised speaks both languages fluently isn’t able to get is Class one then anyone who is new to our country or isn’t able to proficiently be cross examined respectfully shouldn’t be OTR otherwise.
This has been the law of the land since 1938. The trucking companies just have been ignoring this so they can have cheap labor.
I AGREE !
If your are operating a commercial vehicle in a country where the spoken language is primarily English you should be proficient in the language. It is a safety issue.