Washington is closing the gap between policy and practice on truckers’ English requirements. In the past 72 hours, lawmakers in both chambers filed fresh bills to make English-only CDL testing federal law, while the U.S. Department of Transportation’s funding squeeze on California over non-enforcement underscored how quickly the rule is being weaponized as a compliance trigger. Together, these moves point to a near-term shift from guidance to mandate—and a new operating baseline for motor carriers.
The new Senate bill, introduced October 16 by Sen. Tom Cotton, would require all testing tied to issuing or renewing a CDL to be conducted only in English. A companion push materialized a day later in the House, where Rep. Andy Barr filed a bill with the same core requirement and sent it to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Both measures landed in the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation and House T&I committees, respectively—giving proponents multiple paths to attach language to moving vehicles such as an FAA or surface transportation package.
On the enforcement front, the signal could not be clearer. DOT confirmed last week it is withholding $40.685 million in Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program funding from California, effective October 15, after concluding the state is not enforcing English language proficiency as required. The money pays for the very roadside inspections and safety audits that underpin uniform enforcement, amplifying the pressure on states to align their practices.
Industry-facing outlets reported similar details as the funding decision reverberated through state agencies and carrier compliance teams. DOT’s action—and California’s stance—are now the immediate test case for how federal policy will be implemented on the ground while Congress considers codifying the standard.
The labor impact is no longer theoretical. Since the out-of-service penalty for failing English checks returned in June, roughly 6,000 drivers have been sidelined, according to reporting published October 16. That’s a nontrivial slice of available capacity at a moment when many fleets are still managing fragile balance sheets. If Congress locks in English-only testing nationwide and states tighten roadside screening to avoid grant clawbacks, the driver pool could shrink further before training pipelines catch up.
For safety advocates, the argument is straightforward: drivers must be able to read signs, understand instructions, and converse with officials. But carriers point to uneven enforcement and subjectivity in how inspectors assess proficiency—especially under time pressure at the scales. Training schools are scrambling to add targeted English drills and inspection scripts; fleets with multilingual workforces are building coaching and documentation protocols to lower the risk that a routine stop turns into an out-of-service event.
What to watch next: the Senate Commerce and House T&I calendars. If either bill picks up momentum—or if language is grafted onto a must-pass vehicle—federal law would move beyond the current regulatory framework and executive guidance. In the meantime, the California funding case serves as a live-fire reminder that DOT already has levers to compel state-level adherence through MCSAP.
Bottom line for fleets and brokers: audit your exposure now. Map lanes and customer nodes that traverse stricter enforcement states; align hiring screens with English-only state testing where applicable; refresh driver coaching on common inspection exchanges; and document proficiency training. With overlapping bills in play and federal dollars on the line, preparedness beats scrambling when enforcement arrives at your driver’s window.
Sources: FreightWaves, Congress.gov, The Washington Post, Overdrive, Commercial Carrier Journal, TruckNews
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