come more uniform and as both regula- tors and industry participants gain more experience with the rule. He also believes the renewed focus on enforcement ultimately serves a broader purpose. “We should expect that people driving in our state should speak English, period, end of story,” Esparza said. “That’s the way it’s always been, and it’s as it should be for very specific reasons of safety.”
That reality underscores the industry’s call for greater clarity. “The folks I’ve talked to had zero con- cern about going full English because they had confidence in the drivers they’ve hired,” Esparza said. “But when you have a system that can be interpreted differ- ently, that creates challenges for carriers that operate across state lines.” Over time, he expects those challenges to diminish as enforcement practices be-
has affected his company in a positive way. His roughly 85-truck dry van opera- tion would not hire a driver if there were any question about English proficiency. Those standards, he said, are reinforced by experience. Safety Director Scott Richardson said company equipment has been involved in multiple incidents with drivers who could not communicate with responding officers. In one case, a driver involved in
For smaller fleets like Alan Riels' Dedicated Logistics, the impact of tougher enforcement has been more visible. (Dedicated Logistics)
an accident in an Indianap- olis parking lot spoke no English, making it difficult for authorities to assess the situation. Beyond enforcement at roadside inspections, addi- tional policy changes are reinforcing the require- ment across the broader labor pipeline. Policy pressure The Department of Labor now requires employers to include English-language proficiency standards in job orders and applications for temporary or permanent la- bor certification for foreign drivers. Employers that fail to meet the requirement re- ceive a notice of deficiency, and processing of their ap- plications is paused until the issue is corrected. The FMCSA rule applies not only to U.S.-based driv- ers but also to those entering the country from Canada and Mexico. A limited excep- tion exists in certain com- mercial border zones with Mexico, where drivers may be cited for violations but are not placed out of service. States have also begun to take complementary steps. On June 1, the Texas De- partment of Transportation announced that commer- cial driver license and com- mercial learner permit knowledge exams will be administered only in En- glish. Previously, the writ- ten portion of the test was offered in English and Spanish, while the skills test has long been conduct- ed exclusively in English. Interpreters are not al- lowed during any part of the testing process. Esparza said most carriers in Texas have not raised con- cerns about the change be- cause they already expect drivers to meet English-pro- ficiency requirements. How- ever, he noted that the inter- state nature of trucking means drivers must meet standards not only in their home state but across multi- ple jurisdictions.
Transport Topics • July 2026, Issue 1 19
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator