More than 7,200 commercial truck drivers have been barred from U.S. roads in 2025 after failing newly enforced English proficiency tests, a sweeping crackdown that has sent shockwaves through the nation’s trucking industry and immigrant communities. The policy, aggressively enforced since June, has particularly impacted Indian-origin and Latino drivers—groups that form a significant backbone of America’s logistics network.
According to The Indian Express and News Arena Network, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) began ramping up roadside enforcement after a series of fatal highway incidents involving Indian-origin drivers. The most recent and widely reported tragedy occurred in California in October, when a semi-truck driven by Jashanpreet Singh crashed into several vehicles, killing three people. Toxicology reports later confirmed Singh had no drugs or alcohol in his system, but he now faces three counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, as well as a charge of reckless driving causing injury. Authorities noted that Singh, a 21-year-old who crossed the southern border in 2022 and was released pending an immigration hearing, should not have been in California due to his immigration status, according to Fox News.
This was not an isolated event. Just two months earlier, in Florida, another Indian-origin driver, Harjinder Singh, 28, was accused of making an illegal U-turn with his tractor-trailer, resulting in a collision that killed three people. He, too, faces three counts of vehicular homicide. Reports revealed that Harjinder Singh had repeatedly failed the commercial driver’s licence test before obtaining a California CDL, as reported by News Arena Network.
Against this backdrop, the DOT has invoked federal regulation 49 CFR 391.11(b)(2), which requires Commercial Driver’s Licence (CDL) holders to have sufficient English skills to communicate with the public, interpret road signs, interact with authorities, and maintain accurate records. The rule is not new, but enforcement has intensified following President Donald Trump’s 2025 executive order and subsequent DOT directives. The policy officially took effect on June 25, 2025, mandating immediate removal of drivers who fail English language tests.
“Commercial truck drivers must speak and understand English to operate or they will be taken out of service,” Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in a post on X, as cited by FreightWaves and News Arena Network. By October, Duffy reported, 7,248 drivers had been placed out of service for failing to meet the new standards—a dramatic jump from the 1,500 reported in July. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) database shows at least 5,006 English language-related out-of-service violations through October, with the number rising as more states increase enforcement.
Indian-origin drivers, especially those from Punjab and Haryana, have been hit hardest. The North American Punjabi Truckers Association estimates that between 130,000 and 150,000 truck drivers in the U.S. come from these regions. Nearly 90 percent of the estimated 150,000 Sikhs working in the U.S. trucking industry are drivers, according to News Arena Network. Thousands have already been affected by the crackdown, and the disruption has sent ripples through the community. “We have drivers who’ve been safely operating for years, but now they’re being put out of service because they can’t respond in English fast enough during a roadside stop,” said Adalberto Campero, CEO of Texas-based Unimex, in an interview with FreightWaves. “It’s not a safety issue, it’s a communication style issue.”
Industry leaders and advocacy groups have sharply criticized the policy. The Sikh Coalition, a U.S.-based advocacy group, accused the administration of targeting immigrant workers. In a statement, the group said, “This change is not being made on the basis of drivers’ English language proficiency or other qualifications. It is simply an argument that non-domiciled CDL holders are inherently dangerous to the public—an effort to remove approximately 194,000 of them from the workforce.”
For many, the new rule feels arbitrary and unfair. “English proficiency is such a subjective standard,” said Brandon Wiseman, president of Trucksafe Consulting, as quoted by FreightWaves. “What one officer might think is proficient, another officer down the road might think is not proficient. That makes it tough.” Drivers and trucking companies have expressed frustration over the lack of clarity and consistency in the testing process. “It’s going to cause a lot of singling out of Mexican individuals or individuals of Hispanic heritage, and maybe stereotyping,” Campero added. “Drivers are scared now. They’re threatened, they’re intimidated because they feel like their livelihood could be taken away.”
The enforcement has also prompted practical changes in the industry. Some commercial driving schools, like the Miami-based one run by Eli Soler, have added mock English tests to their training programs. “This is an industry that requires both skills, the English to communicate and the proficiency to drive equipment,” Soler explained to FreightWaves. But for older or less fluent drivers, the new standards could mean the end of their careers. “A big chunk of the industry is made up of Latino drivers who work really hard and safely, even if their English isn’t perfect,” said David Sanchez, a Texas-based driver. “The young people are going to learn English pretty quick, but there are a lot of older drivers who are probably going to lose their job.”
While federal officials argue that the policy is about safety, critics point out that there is no clear data linking English proficiency with accident rates. According to FMCSA statistics, about 3.8 percent of licensed commercial drivers have limited English proficiency. Industry observers warn that the crackdown could worsen driver shortages and disrupt U.S. supply chains at a time when the country is already facing logistical challenges.
The fallout doesn’t end there. California, the only state refusing to enforce the English proficiency rule, is set to lose over $40 million in federal funding, according to the DOT. “California is the only state in the nation that refuses to ensure big rig drivers can read our road signs and communicate with law enforcement,” said Secretary Duffy. Meanwhile, Texas holds the largest number of non-domiciled commercial driver’s licences, which legally allow foreign drivers to operate in the U.S.
In the political arena, the crackdown has fueled debate over immigration and labor policy. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio announced a pause on issuing commercial truck driver work visas, arguing that the rise in foreign drivers was endangering lives and threatening American jobs. The move has drawn praise from some quarters but condemnation from others who see it as a blow to America’s diverse workforce and a potential threat to the nation’s supply chain resilience.
Despite the backlash, the DOT remains steadfast. “Americans are a lot safer on roads alongside truckers who can understand and interpret our traffic signs,” Duffy insisted. For now, thousands of drivers—many of whom have safely delivered goods across the country for years—find themselves sidelined, their futures uncertain as the industry grapples with the consequences of a policy that has upended livelihoods and reignited fierce debate about safety, fairness, and the American dream.
