{"id":2499730,"date":"2025-10-16T15:44:56","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T19:44:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dot-california-disagree-on-compliance-with-english-requirements\/"},"modified":"2025-10-16T15:47:48","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T19:47:48","slug":"dot-california-disagree-on-compliance-with-english-requirements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dot-california-disagree-on-compliance-with-english-requirements\/","title":{"rendered":"DOT, California disagree on compliance with English requirements"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdot-california-disagree-on-compliance-with-english-requirements%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2499730&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The U.S. Department of transportation (DOT), under Secretary Sean Duffy, has withheld over $40 million in federal funding from California, citing the state&#8217;s failure to comply with national English language proficiency (ELP) standards for commercial truck drivers. This action follows an investigation triggered by a fatal crash involving a truck driver who was not proficient in English and who had been issued a term-limited commercial driver&#8217;s license by California. The DOT claims California violates federal regulations requiring truckers to understand and speak English well enough to read road signs, communicate with law enforcement, and complete necessary reports. Secretary Duffy warned that without enforcing these standards, federal funds would be suspended.<\/p>\n<p>California officials dispute the DOT&#8217;s claims, arguing that the state complies with federal laws. They maintain that the driver was legally licensed, given his federal work authorization, and that California&#8217;s commercial driver licensing laws incorporate English proficiency requirements. the state also points to lower fatal crash rates among its truckers compared to the national average. california&#8217;s General Counsel further contends that state regulations mirror or exceed federal safety and language standards.<\/p>\n<p>The withheld funds were part of grants supporting inspections, enforcement, safety audits, and education programs for commercial trucking safety.The DOT insists California must implement and enforce a compatible state law to meet the federal English proficiency requirement before the funds will be restored. This dispute highlights a broader effort by the Trump administration&#8217;s DOT to tighten language requirements for commercial drivers across the contry.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">DOT, California disagree on state&rsquo;s compliance with English requirements for truckers. Here&rsquo;s what to know<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2374578\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Transportation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Transportation<\/a>&nbsp;Secretary&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/sean-duffy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sean Duffy<\/a>&nbsp;pulled over $40 million in federal funding from&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/California\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">California<\/a> on Wednesday,&nbsp;saying the state is not complying with national English language proficiency requirements for truck drivers.<\/p>\n<p>The move is part of a push by the Trump administration&rsquo;s Transportation Department to crack down on ELP truck driver regulations.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/3852961\/brewers-fan-fired-yelling-call-ice-dodgers-fan\/\">Brewers fan out of job after yelling &#8216;call ICE&#8217; at Dodgers fan<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/3853144\/stephen-a-smith-walks-out-tv-segment-government-shutdown\/\">Stephen A. Smith walks out during TV segment about government shutdown<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3853024\/federal-court-denies-bid-toss-transgender-sports-lawsuit-before-supreme-hearing\/\">Federal court denies bid to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-court-denies-bid-to-toss-transgender-sports-lawsuit\/\" title=\"Federal court denies bid to toss transgender sports ...uit\">toss transgender sports lawsuit ahead<\/a> of Supreme Court hearing<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3852717\/transportation-department-california-trucker-language-standards\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">DOT TO WITHHOLD OVER $40M FROM CALIFORNIA FOR FAILING TO ENFORCE TRUCKER LANGUAGE STANDARDS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Following a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/3758007\/illegal-immigrant-harjinder-singh-homicide-charges-fatal-highway-crash\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">fatal crash<\/a>&nbsp;on the Florida turnpike in which the semi-truck driver, Harjinder Singh, was not proficient in English, the DOT launched an&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/3760386\/duffy-dot-investigation-florida-crash-illegal-immigrant\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">investigation<\/a>&nbsp;into the incident, the company that employed the driver, and the states, including California, that gave him a commercial license. It found that California issued a &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.transportation.gov\/briefing-room\/trumps-transportation-secretary-announces-investigation-deadly-florida-truck-crash\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">term-limited\/non-domiciled<\/a>&rdquo; commercial driver&rsquo;s license to Singh.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I put states on notice this summer: enforce the Trump Administration&rsquo;s English language requirements or the checks stop coming. California is the only state in the nation that refuses to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >ensure big rig drivers<\/a> can read our road signs and communicate with law enforcement,&rdquo; Duffy said in a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.transportation.gov\/briefing-room\/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-announces-consequences-californias\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>However, legal officials for the state of California assert that the state is in compliance with federal trucking laws. California officials also maintain that the state <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fresnobee.com\/news\/local\/article311891454.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">issued Singh the license legally<\/a>, as he had a federal work permit issued in 2021, according to the&nbsp;<em>Fresno Bee<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-federal-law-does-dot-say-california-is-violating\">What federal law does DOT say California is violating?<\/h2>\n<p>The DOT says California is in violation of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations and has determined the state &ldquo;has not adopted a compatible law, regulation, standard, or order to implement the English language standard in 49 CFR &sect; 391.11(b)(2).&rdquo; The regulation that the FMSCA says California is in violation of is part of the language qualifications for commercial drivers.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Can read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-new-plan-for-truck-drivers-will-enhance-safety-drive-libs-out-of-their-minds\/\" title=\"Trump&#039;s New Plan for ...s Will Enhance Safety, Drive Libs Out of Their Minds\">understand highway traffic signs<\/a> and signals in the English language, to respond to official inquiries, and to make entries on reports and records,&rdquo; the regulation <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecfr.gov\/current\/title-49\/part-391\/section-391.11#p-391.11(b)(2)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reads<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>The DOT said that in order for California to receive its withheld federal funding back, the state &ldquo;must adopt and actively enforce&rdquo; a state law compatible with the above regulation. The DOT press release emphasized that roadside inspections of commercial drivers must include an ELP exam, and those who fail it must be placed out of service.<\/p>\n<p>The August investigation also contained findings on the failure to enforce ELP regulations in New Mexico and Washington; however, the DOT says that those two states have adopted the Trump administration&rsquo;s ELP guidelines, while California has not.<\/p>\n<p>Duffy had issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.transportation.gov\/briefing-room\/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-california-washington-and-new-mexico\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">warning<\/a> to the three states in late August.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-is-california-s-response\">What is California&rsquo;s response?<\/h2>\n<p>Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a spokeswoman for Gov. Gavin Newsom&rsquo;s (D-CA) office, pushed back on DOT&rsquo;s decision to pull the funds in a statement to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Sounds like the federal Secretary of Transportation needs a lesson on his own road rules. The facts are plain and simple &mdash; California commercial driver&rsquo;s license holders had a fatal crash rate nearly 40% LOWER than the national average,&rdquo; Crofts-Pelayo said. &ldquo;Facts don&rsquo;t lie, but the Trump administration sure does.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In a late September letter, obtained by the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, General Counsel for the California State Transportation Agency Alicia Fowler argued to FMSCA&rsquo;s chief counsel that the state fully complies with federal laws. &ldquo;California&rsquo;s laws, regulations, standards, and orders are either identical to or have the same effect as the federal safety requirements&mdash;including the English language proficiency requirement,&rdquo; Fowler wrote.<\/p>\n<p>She said California is compliant with federal code regulations on the requirements for obtaining a commercial driver&rsquo;s license and pointed to state laws surrounding ELP requirements.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Ultimately, California law is unambiguous: &lsquo;[The DMV] shall not issue a driver&rsquo;s license to, or renew a driver&rsquo;s license of, any person: &hellip; Who is unable to read and understand English used in highway traffic and directional signs.&rsquo; Cal. Veh. Code &sect; 12805(a)(5). Thus, California incorporates and enforces an English language proficiency requirement by incorporating it into its testing and licensure process,&rdquo; Fowler wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Fowler also said California &ldquo;has adopted the April 1, 2024 version of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance&rsquo;s out-of-service criteria in its entirety, consistent with the federal regulations.&rdquo; She also argued that the state is &ldquo;appropriately implementing&rdquo; its statewide plan for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/colorado-governor-reduces-110-year-sentence-for-truck-driver-who-killed-four\/\" title=\"Colorado Governor Reduces 110-Year Sentence For ... Who Killed Four\">commercial vehicle safety<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3850682\/duffy-billion-deregulation-drive-trump-transportation-secretary-rewriting-rulebook\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">INSIDE DUFFY&rsquo;S $1.3 BILLION DEREGULATION DRIVE: HOW TRUMP&rsquo;S TRANSPORTATION CHIEF IS REWRITING WASHINGTON&rsquo;S RULEBOOK&nbsp;<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-over-40-million-in-federal-funds-pulled\">Over $40 million in federal funds pulled<\/h2>\n<p>Duffy pulled $40,685,225 in funds from California and said the state&rsquo;s noncompliance with ELP standards is &ldquo;a fundamental safety issue.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The funds were allocated in grants from the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program, which supports states&rsquo; efforts to carry out roadside inspections, enforce traffic, conduct safety audits of trucking companies, and carry out public education campaigns with federal dollars, according to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.transportation.gov\/briefing-room\/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-announces-consequences-californias\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">DOT<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DOT withholds $40M from California over trucker English rules<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3976,"featured_media":2499731,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/sean-duffy-.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4045,21871,15193],"class_list":["post-2499730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-california","tag-compliance","tag-dot"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/sean-duffy-.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2499730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3976"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2499730"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2499730\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2499734,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2499730\/revisions\/2499734"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2499731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2499730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2499730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2499730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}