The U.S. Department of Transportation on Wednesday moved to withhold $40.6 million from California’s truck-safety programs, saying the state refuses to enforce federal English-language proficiency rules for commercial drivers. The decision, announced by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, makes California the lone holdout after months of warnings to states to align roadside enforcement with federal standards.
In a formal notice, DOT said the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is withdrawing approval of California’s Commercial Vehicle Safety Plan effective Oct. 15, cutting off reimbursements under the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program unless the state adopts and enforces a compatible English requirement. Federal regulators pointed to 49 CFR § 391.11(b)(2), which mandates that drivers be able to read traffic signs, converse with the public and law enforcement, respond to official inquiries, and complete required records in English.
The department also set a 30‑day clock: if California doesn’t comply, the administration could freeze another $160 million tied to broader licensing and enforcement issues—money that typically underwrites inspections, compliance reviews and safety audits. For carriers operating in or through the nation’s largest freight market, that raises the stakes for how roadside enforcement, out‑of‑service determinations and state–federal cooperation unfold this quarter.
Federal officials framed the move as a safety fix after reviewing California’s inspection data since the summer. DOT says state officers logged roughly 34,000 inspections that found at least one violation under the new policy window, but only one driver was placed out of service for an English‑proficiency violation; the department also said two dozen drivers flagged elsewhere were allowed to continue operating after inspections in California.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office pushed back, arguing the state already meets federal safety standards through its licensing process and noting California CDL holders have a fatal‑crash rate well below the national average. That dispute—administration data versus state process—now sits at the heart of whether federal dollars flow back to the California Highway Patrol and partner agencies.
The policy fight has been supercharged by an Aug. 12 fatal crash in Florida that prompted a national audit of non‑domiciled CDL issuance. Authorities say the driver, Harjinder Singh, made an illegal U‑turn and later failed an English test administered by investigators; California counters that he held valid work authorization when it issued his CDL in 2024. The case has become a political proxy war between Sacramento, Tallahassee and Washington.
What it means for trucking: near‑term uncertainty more than immediate capacity shock. MCSAP funds underwrite much of the manpower, training and technology behind roadside inspections and targeted enforcement. A prolonged freeze could force California to triage operations or backfill with state dollars, increasing variability in inspection intensity and out‑of‑service outcomes at California weigh stations and ports. For interstate carriers, that inconsistency can translate into scheduling friction, detention exposure at receivers, and uneven risk scoring tied to inspection results.
Compliance leaders should assume the federal standard will drive the field test. Practical steps now: audit onboarding and refresher training to ensure drivers can converse with officers and interpret signage without translation aids; coach drivers on what a roadside English assessment looks like; document the company’s evaluation process; and be ready to reroute or reassign if a driver needs additional language training. Small fleets with multilingual workforces should tap ESL resources quickly—both to protect drivers and to reduce preventable out‑of‑service events that ripple through weekly utilization.
The funding standoff also arrives as freight markets remain margin‑tight. If California ultimately adopts direct English checks at scale, expect a temporary uptick in out‑of‑service placements as officers calibrate to the standard—especially at high‑volume chokepoints near Southern California ports and along I‑5 and I‑80. That learning curve, rather than a sweeping purge of drivers, is likelier to be the operational pinch carriers feel in the next 30 days.
Finally, watch the calendar. With a 30‑day deadline and a looming threat to far larger sums, either a negotiated compliance path or fresh litigation could emerge quickly. For fleets, the prudent posture is to prepare for uniform English enforcement during roadside inspections in California while monitoring whether the state modifies policy or challenges DOT’s action in court.
Sources: FreightWaves, Reuters, Associated Press, U.S. Department of Transportation
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