A new debate is emerging in the U.S. regarding road safety and the standards for becoming a truck driver. A group of current CDL drivers has filed an official petition with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) demanding the introduction of a mandatory English Language Proficiency (ELP) endorsement as a separate addition to commercial driver's licenses.
The petition, first reported in detail by industry press, proposes turning the English language requirement from a formal rule into a clearly verifiable and standardized endorsement, similar to HazMat or Tanker endorsements. It's not about a new requirement per se, but about the way it's applied.
As the initiative's authors explain, the level of English proficiency is currently assessed inconsistently: from state to state and even from inspector to inspector. This creates legal uncertainty and risks for both drivers and carriers. Details of the initiative are outlined in the article Overdrive Online.
Among the proposals:
- introduction of a separate ELP endorsement in CDL;
- mandatory language testing before obtaining CLP and CDL;
- in-person testing at DMV;
- transition period for current drivers.
It's important to understand: the English language requirement has long existed. It is enshrined in federal rules for operating commercial vehicles. FMCSA regulations clearly state:
“A person shall not drive a commercial motor vehicle unless he/she can read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals…”
This text is contained in the current version of the rules published by FMCSA on the official eCFR page.
The issue pointed out by drivers is not the absence of a rule, but the lack of a unified mechanism for its application.
Interest in the ELP topic has sharply increased after the U.S. Department of Transportation began revising its approach to enforcing language requirements. In 2025, the Department of Transportation issued an official order aimed at strengthening and standardizing the enforcement of FMCSA requirements, including driver language competence. The document was published on the agency's website: U.S. Department of Transportation.
In practice, this means inspectors have gained more authority, and ELP violations are increasingly being considered grounds for taking a driver out of service. Against this backdrop, the idea of a formalized endorsement appears to many drivers as a way to protect themselves from subjective decisions on the road.
If FMCSA accepts the petition for consideration and initiates the rulemaking process, the market may face several changes:
- the process of obtaining a CDL will become more structured but also more demanding;
- carriers will have to more carefully verify drivers' language qualifications;
- for immigrants and new drivers, the role of preliminary training and test preparation will increase.
However, supporters of the initiative emphasize: the goal is not to restrict access to the profession, but to enhance safety and legal certainty.
Currently, the petition is in its early stages, and FMCSA has not yet decided to initiate the official rule change process. However, the combination of public pressure, increased federal oversight, and political attention to safety makes the likelihood of discussion quite high.
For drivers and companies, this is a signal to closely monitor changes and prepare for possible new requirements — even if they are not implemented immediately.