���ϳԹ���

(U.S. Department of Transportation)

[Stay on top of transportation news: .]

Federal roadside inspectors have been stopping more commercial vehicle drivers since the Trump administration renewed enforcement of English-language proficiency standards, federal data shows.

During the 90-day stretch between the June 25 kickoff of ELP reinstatement and Aug. 31, federal roadside inspections rose 67% to nearly 8,000 compared with 4,772 during the same span last year.

Broken down by month, roadside truck inspections in June jumped 76% to 2,956 compared with 1,680 in June 2024. July inspections soared 79% to just less than 3,000 compared with 1,715 in July 2024. August figures showed a 42% rise to nearly 2,000 inspections compared with 1,377 in the year-ago period. By comparison, in May the number of federal roadside inspections amounted to 2,721, about 16% higher than the May 2024 total of 2,345.

on May 20 signed an order restarting enforcement of federal English-language competency regulations that had been paused in 2016. At the time, Duffy declared: “America First means safety first. Americans are a lot safer on roads alongside truckers who can understand and interpret our traffic signs. This common-sense change ensures the penalty for failure to comply is more than a slap on the wrist.”

You must be able to speak English and understand road signs to operate a truck. Follow the rules established by in your state or there will be serious consequences.

Tune in tomorrow at 9AM EST for an update from HQ. — Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy)

Federal language proficiency enforcement expanded after the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance in response to Duffy directed its estimated 12,000 certified inspectors nationwide to begin issuing OOS violations for truckers unable to pass roadside tests for communicating in English and understanding road signs.

The FMCSA Motor Carrier Management Information System public database contains metrics for federal and state commercial motor vehicle roadside inspections. With both, officials have enforcement authority over vehicles and drivers to ensure safety regulations are followed. State roadside inspections also have purview over state laws such as overweight permitting. FMCSA data on state-level roadside checks found year-to-date inspections nationwide through Aug.31about flat at around 1.83 million stops.

On a combined federal and state level, year-to-date ELP OOS violations had reached 3,724 drivers through the end of August. Of this amount, 448 couldn’t understand highway traffic signals/road signs in English.

Duffy’s May mandate followed an executive order issued April 28 by President Donald Trump focused on trucking that directed Duffy to take steps such as rescinding past guidance “that watered down the law requiring English proficiency” for truckers, and revising out-of-service criteria to remove drivers violating English proficiency regulations by placing them out of service.

Duffy proclaimed at the end of July, “Since I took action to enforce language proficiency requirements for truckers, our state partners have put roughly 1,500 unqualified drivers out of service.”

On Aug. 26, Duffy gave California, New Mexico and Washington — which had been lax in responding to the edict — a 30-day deadline to begin enforcement of ELP requirements or face forfeit of about $50.5 million in federal funds.

Want more news? Listen to today's daily briefing below��or go here for more info: