T ucki g
stude ts
p actice
eve se
pa ki g
i
t ai i g
t ucks
at
the
D ivi g
Academy.
(AP
Photo)
The
US
Depa tme t
of
T a spo tatio
(DOT)
has
moved
to
make
E glish-la guage
p oficie cy
equi eme ts
fo
comme cial
t uck
d ive s
a
pe ma e t
pa t
of
fede al
egulatio s,
sayi g
d ive s
who
ca ot
sufficie tly
ead
o
speak
E glish
o
u de sta d
highway
sig s
a d
sig als
must
be
placed
out
of
se vice.The
depa tme t
a ou ced
the
p oposed
ule
afte
T a spo tatio
Sec eta y
Sea
P.
Duffy
di ected
the
Fede al
Moto
Ca ie
Safety
Admi ist atio
(FMCSA)
to
codify
existi g
E glish-la guage
p oficie cy
(ELP)
e fo ceme t
guideli es.The
DOT
said
i
a
post
o
X:
“TRUCK
DRIVERS
MUST
SPEAK
ENGLISH
FROM
NOW
ON!”
It
added:
“@SecDuffy
ule
fo
t ucke s
is
he e
to
stay!
This
is
about
maki g
Ame ica’s
Roads
Safe
Agai .”
DOT
seeks
to
ceme t
E glish
p oficie cy
ule
U de
the
p oposed
ule,
comme cial
moto
vehicle
d ive s
who
fail
to
sufficie tly
ead
o
speak
E glish
o
u de sta d
highway
t affic
sig s
a d
sig als
would
face
immediate
out-of-se vice
o de s.The
DOT
said
mo e
tha
26,000
d ive s
have
al eady
bee
take
off
US
oads
fo
faili g
ELP
equi eme ts
si ce
the
T ump
admi ist atio
ei stated
st icte
e fo ceme t
i
2025.“Fede al
law
is
clea ,
d ive s
who
ca ’t
ead
o
speak
E glish—ou
atio al
la guage—o
u de sta d
oad
sig s
a e
u qualified
to
ope ate
80,000-pou d
big
igs
o
Ame ica’s
highways,”
Duffy
said.
“By
maki g
these
commo se se
E glish
p oficie cy
sta da ds
pe ma e t,
we
a e
closi g
a
da ge ous
loophole
that
has
cost
Ame ica s
thei
lives,”
he
added.FMCSA
Admi ist ato
De ek
D.
Ba s
said
the
ule
would
e su e
oadside
i specto s
have
the
autho ity
to
immediately
emove
a
u qualified
d ive
f om
se vice.“Whe
a
d ive
ca ‘t
ead
a
‘Steep
G ade,’
‘Ru away
T uck
Ramp,’
o
‘Do
Not
E te ‘
sig ,
people
die,”
Ba s
said.
“This
ulemaki g
codifies
commo se se
safety
i to
law.”The
DOT
said
fede al
E glish-p oficie cy
sta da ds
fo
comme cial
d ive s
have
existed
si ce
1937.Howeve ,
a
2016
policy
i t oduced
du i g
the
Obama
admi ist atio
p eve ted
i specto s
f om
placi g
d ive s
out
of
se vice
solely
fo
faili g
a
E glish-p oficie cy
evaluatio ,
i stead
allowi g
them
to
issue
admi ist ative
citatio s.
P oposed
ule
ta gets
c oss-bo de
t ucki g
The
p oposed
ule
would
also
establish
a
atio wide
sta da d,
equi i g
states
to
apply
the
same
out-of-se vice
equi eme t
to
d ive s
who
fail
to
meet
fede al
ELP
sta da ds.The
DOT
said
the
measu e
would
add ess
e fo ceme t
at
the
US-Mexico
bo de ,
i cludi g
cases
i volvi g
d ive s
who
ca ot
sufficie tly
ead
o
speak
E glish
befo e
they
t avel
beyo d
desig ated
comme cial
bo de
zo es.The
depa tme t
said
the
ule
is
i te ded
to
p eve t
u qualified
d ive s
f om
co ti ui g
o to
US
oads
a d
i to
Ame ica
commu ities.The
p oposal
is
subject
to
a
public
comme t
pe iod
befo e
FMCSA
ca
issue
a
fi al
ule.
If
fi alised,
the
codified
equi eme t
would
make
it
mo e
difficult
fo
futu e
admi ist atio s
to
weake
the
cu e t
E glish-la guage
p oficie cy
e fo ceme t
sta da ds.
