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An internal audit of how the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is ensuring states comply with federal standards for English-language proficiency when issuing commercial driver licenses is being launched by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Surface Transportation Audits office.

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Tiffany Mostert, assistant inspector general for Surface Transportation Audits, announced the move in a Sept. 19 audit statement under the heading “.”

The move arrives at a moment when DOT is scrutinizing English-language proficiency among commercial drivers. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recently reinstated enforcement of out-of-service violations for drivers who cannot demonstrate proficiency in reading and understanding English. That followed an April 28 executive order from President Donald Trump that directed Duffy to take a harder stance on English-language proficiency standards.

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“While our audit is not directly related to the president’s executive order issued April 28, we plan to review FMCSA’s oversight of state , the latter of which must be administered in English,” a spokesperson told Transport Topics.

According to FMCSA regulations, CDL skills tests must be done either exclusively in on-street conditions or through a combination of on- and off-street conditions. Interpreters are prohibited during the administration of skills tests, per the regulation.

Applicants must pass both knowledge and skills tests administered in English by a state driver’s licensing agency or state-approved third-party testers/examiners.

“Applicants must be able to understand and respond to verbal commands and instructions in English by a skills test examiner,” per a test notes section in the rule. “Neither the applicant nor the examiner may communicate in a language other than English during the skills test.”

FMCSA also maintains record-keeping rules for states. “States must record and retain the knowledge and skills test scores of tests taken by driver applicants,” the rule states. “The test scores must either be made part of the driver history record or be linked to the driver history record in a separate file.”

The audit notice also underscored , injuries and fatalities, while improving commercial motor vehicle safety. “A significant part of FMCSA’s safety mission is the national Commercial Driver’s License Program, which aims to reduce the number and severity of crashes nationwide by verifying that only qualified drivers possess a CDL,” the notice stated.

The DOT-OIG’s performance audits aim to provide objective reviews and help improve federal programs’ performance and operations. They sometimes can lead to corrective actions.

There are four audit phases, starting with development of an objective. From there, the project’s scope, methods and milestones are set. Fieldwork is then conducted to gather information, analyze evidence and develop preliminary conclusions with recommendations. From there, agency action items are created and progress is monitored.

An audit’s findings are compiled in a , as well as for Duffy, the Office of Management Budget within the Executive Office of the President and relevant congressional committees.

“We will conduct our audit work at FMCSA headquarters in Washington, D.C., as well as FMCSA division offices and state locations, as necessary,” the DOT-OIG spokesperson said. “We anticipate issuing a final audit report in fall 2026.”