Trump's order that truckers speak English? A good thing, experts say

Juan Carlos Chavez, Tampa Bay Times on May 12, 2025

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TAMPA, Fla. — As state and federal officials prepare to strictly enforce English rules for commercial drivers in the coming weeks, many immigrant truckers across the country are speaking out and calling the rule unfair.

But people in the industry say knowing basic English is important for safety.

Trump signed an executive order on April 28 reinforcing a federal law that requires commercial truck drivers to be proficient in English. The rule had been removed under the Obama administration in 2016. Now it will take effect on June 25.

Carlos Manuel, a Florida truck driver, said his English is limited, but he’s “still able to handle my work.”

“Maybe most of us aren’t good at English, but we can do the job,” said Manuel, 34.

But in reality, it’s not that simple, said Christopher Mantei, 54, a truck driver in Tampa.

“You need to know English and learn all of the American ways of the road,” said Mantei. “You have to speak English to be able to drive trucks.”

Like many other fields, the trucking industry has been diversifying its labor force in recent years by employing more foreign-born truck drivers. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 18% of U.S. truck drivers are foreign-born.

Language barriers can affect communication with dispatchers or law enforcement, or during emergencies, especially in states with busy roads, experts said. Florida is one of them. The state has one of the highest shares of intrastate shipments by value, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Alix Miller, president and CEO of the Florida Trucking Association, said they know the enforcement is a concern among many immigrants and Spanish-speaking truck drivers in Florida. But it’s important to note that drivers are expected to be proficient, not fluent, in English to be able to carry out their duties safely, he said.

“Drivers are expected to be able to communicate with law enforcement and weigh station officers during inspections and agricultural checkpoints to ensure they understand and are following federal regulations, including being able to make entries on records,” Miller said.

George O‘Connor, director of communications of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, said the order is a matter of safety. The group is the largest national trade association representing small-business trucking professionals and independent truckers.

“We have and will continue to approach English language proficiency squarely as a highway safety issue,” O‘Connor said. “This is entirely about the safety of all road users.”

O‘Connor highlighted the case of Rogel Aguilera-Mederos as an example of the risks tied to limited English. Aguilera-Mederos caused a fatal 2019 Colorado crash that left four dead and several injured. He was driving a semi-truck at 85 mph when he passed a yellow highway sign that said, “Runaway Truck Ramp 2000 Feet” and crashed into other cars. He spoke limited English, and investigators used an interpreter when they interrogated him.

“The incident demonstrates how someone can ultimately obtain, despite federal regulations, a commercial driver‘s license without speaking or reading English,” O‘Connor said. “It also demonstrates the deadly consequences.”

Last week, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance voted to place truck drivers out of service for English proficiency violations. While the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration sets the rules for the trucking industry, the Alliance has authority to warrant placing a driver out of service.

“I cannot, at this time, speak to the impact on industry,” said

Adrienne Gildea, deputy executive director of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, said she couldn’t speak to the impact of Trump’s order on the industry. But she noted in an email that ”the English language proficiency requirement is an existing, longstanding regulation.”

Some truckers are already worried about the potential effects, and haven’t wasted time making it known on social platforms like TikTok. Rene Rios, a trucker in Los Angeles, said on TikTok that some of his friends may sell their trucks because they don’t speak English.

Another user, Evelyn Davila, who goes by the screen name Evelyn86, said the rule will hurt many immigrant families.

“It’s not fair,” said Davila, a Cuban trucker in Florida, who has spent the last four years on the road working with her husband. “We’ve been driving these roads for years. What difference does it make now?”

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