The US Department of Transportation announced the possibility of suspending federal funding for California, Washington, and New Mexico. The reason is the insufficient enforcement of English language proficiency requirements for commercial truck drivers. These are rules that have existed for decades but, according to federal authorities, are not effectively enforced in these states.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy explicitly stated that the states have limited time to bring their inspection practices in line with federal standards. Otherwise, they may lose funds under the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP), which finances inspections, training, and road safety control. This is stated in an official statement by the US Department of Transportation, published on the website transportation.gov.
According to federal regulations (49 CFR §391.11), a commercial driver must be able to:
- read and understand road signs and signals in English
- communicate with police and inspectors
- fill out reports and official documents
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) emphasizes that these requirements are directly related to traffic safety, especially during accidents, inspections, and route changes. The agency's position is detailed on the official resource fmcsa.dot.gov.
The conflict arose from inspection results showing an extremely low number of drivers suspended from work due to lack of English proficiency. In California, according to federal inspections, almost no one was taken out of service on this basis despite tens of thousands of inspections.
The Department of Transportation believes that such statistics do not indicate perfect language proficiency among drivers but rather a lack of real control. As noted in an analytical article by the industry publication Trucking Dive, federal authorities view this as a violation of grant conditions.
Sean Duffy emphasized in his statement:
"States cannot selectively comply with federal safety regulations. When the law is not enforced, people's lives are at risk."
The FMCSA also points out that weak enforcement of language requirements has already been a factor in investigations of serious accidents where drivers could not correctly understand instructions or road information.
Authorities in California and other affected states disagree with the accusations. They claim that English language requirements are checked when issuing a CDL, and additional roadside checks may be legally contentious. This is reported by state representatives, whose comments are provided by the industry portal TruckingInfo.
At the same time, part of the professional community supports tightening control, believing that basic English proficiency is not discrimination but a necessary safety condition.
If the states do not change their approach, the consequences could be significant:
- increased roadside inspections
- a rise in work suspensions
- additional requirements from carriers when hiring
- possible delays and disruptions in logistics
For transport companies, this means the need to ensure in advance that drivers can confidently communicate in English in work situations.
The story of the possible suspension of federal funding shows that federal authorities intend to strictly control compliance with safety rules, even if this causes resistance at the state level. In the coming weeks, it will become clear whether California, Washington, and New Mexico will make concessions or if the conflict will escalate into a legal and political confrontation with Washington.