Trump's DOT threatens to withhold funds from states that don't enforce English requirements for truck drivers

[EX500rider]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Omaha Steve (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: NBC

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Tuesday that three Democrat-led states must enforce English language proficiency requirements for commercial drivers or face federal funding cuts.

Duffy singled out California, Washington and New Mexico, saying they had 30 days to comply before their funds from the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program were cut off. That money aims to help state and local law enforcement agencies improve commercial vehicle safety.

The administration is acting on the heels of a deadly Florida crash that conservatives have pointed to in their criticism of policies that they say allowed migrants to enter the United States illegally.

"States don’t get to pick and choose which federal safety rules to follow," Duffy said in a news release detailing the announcement. "As we saw with the horrific Florida crash that killed three, when states fail to enforce the law, they put the driving public in danger."

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-administration-threatens-withhold-funds-states-dont-enforce-engl-rcna227225

---

As a CDL HazMat driver for 30+ years I agree with the policy of CDL drivers needing some basic understanding of the English language, written & spoken.

[KT2000]

1. This story was all over RW media

but it started with just the non-English speaking drivers. Then the DOT stepped into the primed territory to require English in the Dem states. It will be interesting to see how strict the testing will be because I sense this is another ruse to get rid of immigrants who are likely not white.

The flash point was a bad driver who did something illegal, not a lack of understanding English, which this man did anyway.

[xocetaceans]

2. I think it is safe to say that most anything that the Trump "Admin" does will be interpretable in that manner. That ...

... being said, I don't have a problem with significant English requirements for anyone who is seeking a CDL or even a basic license. Trucks and cars are essentially large weapons if mishandled. Reckless drivers, drunk drivers, disoriented drivers, and Teslas on Autopilot/"FSD" seem to demonstrate that fairly frequently.

[Omaha Steve]

3. AFTER a review by forum hosts LOCKING

Story was OVER 12 hours old when posted: Aug. 26, 2025, 10:25 AM CDT / Updated Aug. 26, 2025, 7:53 PM CDT

Statement of Purpose
Post the latest news from reputable mainstream news websites and blogs. Important news of national interest only. No analysis or opinion pieces. No duplicates. News stories must have been published within the last 12 hours. Use the published title of the story as the title of the discussion thread.