Marshall Introduces Bill Mandating Truck Drivers Speak English
Senator roger Marshall from Kansas is set to introduce a new piece of legislation requiring all prospective truck drivers and commercial vehicle operators to demonstrate proficiency in English before obtaining their licenses. Marshall argues that understanding road signs and being able to communicate with law enforcement is essential for safety on the roads, especially for those operating large vehicles. He emphasizes that this legislation is a necessary step to uphold high safety standards.
Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, who is co-sponsoring the bill, also underscores the importance of English proficiency in preventing potential risks on the road. The current law mandates that commercial drivers should have some level of English comprehension, but lacks effective enforcement. Marshall’s proposed “Commercial Motor Vehicle English Proficiency Act” aims to strengthen this requirement by implementing testing to ensure drivers can read and understand English.
This legislative push follows an executive order from former President Donald Trump asserting that English proficiency is a crucial safety requirement for professional drivers.The new legislation seeks to address and restore enforcement mechanisms that were diluted in past administrations, particularly those set during Barack Obama’s presidency, which eased language proficiency standards for drivers.
On Wednesday, Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., will introduce legislation that would require prospective truck drivers or other commercial motor vehicle drivers to speak, read, and understand proficient English before obtaining a license.
“Common sense would tell us that anyone driving on American roads, especially those operating large trucks and trailers, should be capable of understanding what the road signs say or how to communicate with police,” Marshall said in a statement to The Federalist. “Kansans deserve to know that commercial operators are held to the highest safety standards. I am proud to introduce legislation that ensures those driving the largest vehicles on the road can understand the official language of America: English.”
“English proficiency for commercial truck drivers isn’t just practical, it can be a matter of life and death. The unwillingness of previous administrations to enforce this commonsense regulation undermines roadway safety and puts all drivers at risk,” Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, who co-sponsored the legislation, said in a statement to The Federalist. “I’m proud to work with Senator Marshall to restore this critical safety standard. This legislation is a straightforward, sensible step that will make our roads and highways safer for everyone.”
Current law requires a driver operating a commercial vehicle 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 response to official inquiries, and to make entries on reports and records.”
But the law is largely toothless, with no enforcement mechanism.
The Commercial Motor Vehicle English Proficiency Act would amend Title 49 by requiring the testing of prospective drivers on their ability to read and understand English so that they can understand traffic signs, communicate with law enforcement in English, and provide/receive directions in English. The test must be administered in English as well.
The legislation comes weeks after President Donald Trump issued an executive order stating that “proficiency in English … should be a non-negotiable safety requirement for professional drivers.”
“They should be able to read and understand traffic signs, communicate with traffic safety, border patrol, agriculture checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station officers,” Trump’s order stated. “This is common sense.”
“The new order reverses a 2016 memorandum issued during former President Barack Obama’s administration, which removed the requirement to place drivers out of service for English Language Proficiency violations and eased enforcement standards,” according to Newsweek.
Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy later signed a directive ordering truck drivers who are not fluent in English to be taken off the road.
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