Thousands of Truck Drivers Placed Out-of-Service for English Proficiency Violations, Says U.S. Transportation Secretary

Source: Sean Duffy

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that thousands of truck drivers have been placed out-of-service in 2025 for failing to meet federal English Language Proficiency (ELP) requirements.

In a social media post on December 10, 2025, Duffy stated that 9,500 drivers were removed from service this year for “failing to speak our national language — ENGLISH.” The figure aligns closely with federal roadside inspection data.

A long-standing rule revived after years of relaxed enforcement

While English proficiency rules have been in place for decades, enforcement had been significantly softened following a 2016 FMCSA memo instructing officers not to issue out-of-service orders based solely on ELP violations.

This guidance was reversed in April 2025, following a White House Executive Order mandating full enforcement of English language standards for commercial drivers. As a result, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) reinstated ELP non-compliance as an out-of-service violationeffective June 25, 2025.

What federal law requires

Truck drivers must be able to:

• read and speak English well enough to converse with the public,

• understand highway traffic signs and signals,

• respond to official inquiries,

• make entries on official reports and records.

Failure to meet these standards can now lead to immediate removal from service until compliance is demonstrated.

Federal data shows similar totals

The FMCSA’s national roadside inspection database currently reports 8,953 ELP-related out-of-service violations, closely matching Duffy’s real-time figure.

Secretary Duffy emphasized that the enforcement surge is aimed at protecting roadway safety:

“This administration will always put you and your family’s safety first,” he wrote.