All truck and bus drivers required to take commercial driver’s license test in English

Duffy indicated that the registration system and requirements for trucking companies would be strengthened

All truck and bus drivers across the United States will now be required to take their commercial driving licence tests in English, as the administration expands its rigorous campaign to enhance industry safety and remove unqualified drivers from the roads.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the latest initiative on Friday, designed to ensure that drivers possess sufficient English proficiency to comprehend road signs and communicate effectively with law enforcement officers. Florida has already begun administering its tests exclusively in English.

Currently, numerous states permit drivers to undertake their licence tests in other languages, despite a federal requirement for English proficiency. California, for instance, previously offered tests in 20 different languages. Duffy highlighted that several states have outsourced the administration of commercial driving licence tests to private companies, which he claims are failing to enforce the necessary standards for demonstrating driving and English skills.

These intensified enforcement efforts follow closely on the heels of the Transportation Department’s directive for 557 driving schools to close due to their failure to meet fundamental safety standards. The department has been aggressively targeting states that issued commercial driving licences to individuals who should not have qualified, a crackdown initiated after a fatal crash in August.

That incident involved a lorry driver, whom Duffy stated was not authorised to be in the US, making an illegal U-turn in Florida, resulting in the deaths of three people. Subsequent fatal collisions, including one in Indiana earlier this month that claimed the lives of four members of an Amish community, have further amplified safety concerns.

States are mandated to ensure drivers can speak English before granting a commercial licence, with law enforcement expected to verify language skills during traffic stops or inspections. Drivers unable to communicate effectively are supposed to be removed from service. A recent federal inspection programme, involving 8,215 checks, led to nearly 500 drivers being disqualified due to their English language abilities. California initially resisted enforcing these English rules but has since removed over 600 drivers from its highways.

Duffy asserted that every American expects drivers of large commercial vehicles to be thoroughly qualified. He lamented that for too long, issues within the trucking industry were "allowed to rot and no one's paying attention to it for decades."

"Once you start to pay attention, you see that all these bad things have been happening. And the consequence of that is that Americans get hurt," Duffy said. "When we get on the road, we should expect that we should be safe. And that those who drive those 80,000-pound big rigs, that they are well-trained, they’re well-qualified, and they’re going to be safe."

Duffy indicated that the registration system and requirements for trucking companies would be strengthened (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The campaign will also broaden its scope to prevent fraudulent trucking companies from entering the business, while continuing to target questionable driving schools and ensure states adhere to all regulations for issuing commercial licences. Duffy indicated that the registration system and requirements for trucking companies would be strengthened, with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) inspectors conducting more spot checks of lorries and commercial driving licence schools. Officials are also working to ensure the accuracy of electronic logging devices used by drivers and that states are following all regulations to qualify drivers for commercial licences.

Currently, companies can register to operate by paying just \$300 and providing proof of insurance, often without an audit for a year or more. Even then, audits may be conducted virtually, making it harder to identify fraudulent entities. This lax system has facilitated the operation of "chameleon carriers" – fraudulent companies that register multiple times under different names, switching identities and registration numbers to evade consequences after crashes or other violations.

Dan Horvath, chief operating officer for the American Trucking Associations trade group, noted that this long-standing issue has made it excessively easy for companies ordered to cease operations to simply change their name and registration number and continue business as usual. "What we think at ATA has happened over the years is that we have a lack of true enforcement and intervention with motor carriers that are in operation," Horvath stated, adding that only a small fraction of trucking companies ever undergo a full compliance review with an in-person inspection.

Following the Indiana crash, the FMCSA immediately put the driver's employer out of service and revoked the DOT numbers of two other companies linked to AJ Partners. Tutash Express and Sam Express in the Chicago area were also disqualified, and the Aydana driving school attended by the involved driver lost its certification. Immigration authorities arrested the 30-year-old driver from Kyrgyzstan, stating he had entered the country illegally. Authorities reported he pulled out and attempted to overtake a slowing lorry, colliding with an oncoming van.

In December, the FMCSA moved to decertify up to 7,500 of the 16,000 schools nationwide, though this included many defunct operations. Duffy revealed that the companies implicated in the Indiana crash were all registered at the same apartment, and in other instances, hundreds of these "chameleon" companies might be registered at a single address.