Supply Chain Scanner - Week of July 14, 2025
Weekly blog by Emily Atkins
How much English proficiency is enough for truck drivers?
New enforcement of rules in the U.S. for truck drivers is causing concern among Canadian trucking companies. An executive order from U.S. President Trump in April 2025 requires the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to now enforce English-language proficiency (ELP) requirements that have been on the books for years.
The consequences for failure to comply will result in the driver being placed out of service, which means they are not allowed to drive.
According to a survey conducted by the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA), 20 percent of about 100 Canadian trucking companies believe some of their drivers might struggle to comply with the English language proficiency (ELP) requirements in the U.S. An average of 15 percent of the combined fleet of surveyed indicated drivers could be negatively affected by the change in enforcement.
The law requires that to operate a commercial vehicle, a driver must “read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals in the English language, to respond to official inquiries, and to make entries on reports and records.”
“Proficiency in English, which I designated as our official national language in Executive Order 14224 of March 1, 2025 (Designating English as the Official Language of the United States), should be a non-negotiable safety requirement for professional drivers. They should be able to read and understand traffic signs and communicate with traffic safety, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station officers. Drivers need to provide feedback to their employers and customers and receive related directions in English. This is common sense,” the Trump order stated.
“The heightened enforcement attention on this issue has been in place since late May. We will be continuing to monitor the situation closely…and will be comparing it to the survey results,” said Geoff Wood, Senior Vice President, policy of the CTA. “While this appears manageable right now, the trucking industry is experiencing the worst freight recession in 40 years. The full impact to Canada-US trade would likely increase as economies improve and demand for freight transportation rises.”
Other than what has been published by FMCSA, there are no additional details from U.S. law enforcement on how drivers will be tested for language proficiency or exactly how enforcement will be applied in various jurisdictions. However, it is understood that FMCSA’s intent is to ensure drivers can communicate effectively with enforcement officials and understand highway signage for the safe operation of their commercial vehicles on US roads and highways.
A section of the code referring to inspection procedures has been updated to add a note to the “Greet and Prepare the Driver” step of the inspection process to reference FMCSA Enforcement Guidance Memo MC-SEE-2025-0001, which provides federal guidance to roadside inspection personnel on how to assess and enforce the English language proficiency requirements. It simply states that the inspector should “ensure that the driver is capable of communicating sufficiently to understand and respond to official inquiries and directions.”
The FMCSA has provided guidance for trucking companies recommending a number of ways they can protect their drivers from being placed out of service due to lack of English proficiency. Primarily, this involves conducting an assessment of the driver’s capability to carry on a conversation in English.
The driver should be able to explain the origin and destination of their trip; the time they’ve been on duty; the information in their driver’s license; the details of their load; and, the vehicle equipment and inspection records. FMCSA says that drivers should not be permitted to use cue cards or other translation aids during the interview process.
Drivers also need to be able to demonstrate their understanding of road signs, including dynamic warning boards, and FMCSA notes, suggesting that this should also be part of the qualifying interview. During the interview the driver should be asked to explain the meaning of signs from the Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), as well as examples of dynamic message signs the driver may encounter.
It's very clearly up to the individual trucking companies to ensure that their drivers can understand their environment and communicate clearly to officials in English. A little bit of preparation, through the interview process described, and perhaps through some remedial English classes, can go a long way to preventing any issues while south of the border. And since English is the primary means of communication on Canada’s roads, it makes sense to have drivers who can communicate clearly.
CTA continues to monitor the situation with language enforcement in the U.S. and has asked carriers that experience enforcement to let them know at operations_safety@cantruck.ca.
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Emily Atkins
President
Emily Atkins Group
Emily Atkins is president of Emily Atkins Group and was editor of Inside Logistics from 2002 to 2024. She has lived and worked around the world as a journalist and writer for hire, with experience in several sectors besides supply chain, including automotive, insurance and waste management. Based in Southern Ontario, when she’s not researching or writing a story she can be found on her bike, in a kayak, singing in the band or at the wheel of her race car. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyatkinsgroup/