Summary
The U.S. Department of Transportation is threatening to withhold federal funding from California, New Mexico, and Washington unless these states enforce English proficiency requirements for commercial truck drivers. The action follows concerns over safety, as truck drivers need to read road signs and communicate with authorities in English. An investigation revealed that these states were not enforcing the existing rules effectively.
Key Facts
- The U.S. Department of Transportation is pressuring three states to enforce English proficiency rules for truck drivers.
- California, New Mexico, and Washington could lose federal funds if they do not comply.
- The English language requirement is meant to improve road safety by ensuring truckers can read signs and talk to law officers.
- Since the rule took effect, California found only one serious language violation among 34,000 inspections.
- Washington uncovered over 6,000 safety rule violations, but only pulled four drivers for English language issues.
- New Mexico has not removed any drivers for language violations since the rule was applied.
- The failure to enforce these standards is linked to concerns about road safety and potential accidents.
- A recent fatal crash involving a non-English speaking driver highlighted the safety risks.
