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Since June, more than 3,000 truck drivers have been placed out of service for failing English proficiency rules.
Thousands of commercial truck drivers have been ordered off U.S. roads for failing to meet federal English Language Proficiency (ELP) requirements, according to newly released federal data. Since late June 2025, 3,020 drivers have received out-of-service orders for ELP violations, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) database shows.
The FMCSA roadside inspection database shows how violations vary by region:
The numbers represent a significant rise compared to mid-August, when 1,212 out-of-service orders were recorded.
The surge follows a June 25, 2025 White House Executive Order that reinstated ELP non-compliance as an out-of-service violation. The directive reversed a 2016 FMCSA memo that had instructed law enforcement not to place drivers out of service solely for ELP failures.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy reported that roughly 1,500 drivers had already been removed from service by the end of June, only days after the enforcement change took effect.
Since I took action to enforce language proficiency requirements for truckers, our state partners have put roughly 1,500 unqualified drivers out of service. That’s what I call results!
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) July 30, 2025
If you can't read or speak our national language — ENGLISH — we won’t let your truck endanger… https://t.co/TKPcn60ic2
Secretary Duffy has championed stricter enforcement of ELP rules, particularly in light of a fatal crash on the Florida Turnpike involving truck driver Harjinder Singh. Singh’s English proficiency has been questioned in the aftermath of the triple-fatality incident, drawing renewed scrutiny of FMCSA’s language requirements.
The rapid increase in ELP enforcement is a sign of growing federal pressure on carriers and drivers to comply with longstanding language requirements. With over 3,000 drivers removed from service in less than three months, fleets may face tighter driver availability and higher compliance oversight.
Source: CDLLIFE
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