WASHINGTON — The Small Business in Transportation Coalition (SBTC) issued a challenge on Wednesday to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMSCA) regarding the enforcement of English Language Proficiency (ELP) Driver Qualifications regulations. In a social media post, the SBTC addressed U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Deputy Secretary Steve Bradbury, and the FMSCA directly.
“We guess with Chevron gone, if [Sec. Duffy], [USDOT], and [Deputy Sec. Bradbury] are not going to immediately engage us in discussions on the Trump Administration requiring FMSCA to abide by their own English Proficiency Driver Qualifications regulations, we will have to have the discussion in front of a Federal Judge. We cannot have non-English truckers killing truckers. Please call Mr. Bradbury. Today. And report back to the SBTC Board of Directors,” the SBTC stated in the post.
Official Language President Donald Trump signed an executive order making English the official language in the U.S. on March 1, 2025. Since then, the SBTC has been vocal about the lack of enforcement of a mandate requiring commercial drivers to possess a minimum proficiency in English. In a March 2 email to Larry Minor, the FMSCA associate administrator for policy, SBTC president James Lamb stated: “If the agency’s policy is still to not place truck drivers who do not speak or read English out-of-service in accordance with the Department’s motor carrier safety regulations on qualifications to drive, we request you please change the policy back to placing such drivers out-of-service in the interest of public safety.” Minor acknowledged receipt of Lamb’s email on March 3 but made no comment.
In a string of emails to Duffy, USDOT, and the Department of General Education (DOGE), Lamb referenced several accidents attributed to drivers allegedly lacking English proficiency, which resulted in fatalities. On March 13, 2025, a commercial driver was arrested following a tragic accident on Interstate 35 in north Austin that led to five deaths and injuries to 11 others as a result of a multi-vehicle crash involving at least 17 vehicles, including semi-trucks. In a March 18 email to Michael Kuppersmith at the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, Lamb noted there had been a report raising questions about the driver’s English proficiency.
According to the arrest affidavit, the truck driver, Solomun Weldekeal Araya, was charged with multiple counts of intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault. He claimed his brakes failed, yet commercial vehicle inspectors found no mechanical issues with the truck. Records indicated Araya had a history of hours-of-service violations and prior hazardous moving violations while operating commercial vehicles. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has opened an investigation into the grave incident, though no official statements have been released confirming whether the driver’s ability to speak or read English proficiently played a role in the accident.
The alarm over such incidents is heightened by a previous case from 2021 in which a Florida jury awarded $1 billion to the family of Connor Dzion, an 18-year-old honor student who died in a 2017 trucking accident. The driver in that case was reportedly unable to read English, leaving him incapable of understanding flashing electronic signs indicating a standstill ahead.
In a March 19 email to Duffy, Bradbury, and other USDOT Office of Inspector General (OIG) officials, Lamb focused on another severe crash that occurred on March 16, 2025, involving a Washington state trucker, Borys Bakhtiarov, charged with homicide by vehicle. “Enough, Mr. Secretary,” Lamb stated in the correspondence, urging immediate action.
The evidentiary affidavit indicated Bakhtiarov’s Freightliner crossed over a guardrail and crashed into an eastbound Freightliner, seriously injuring its driver and killing the co-driver in the sleeper area. Although a language interpreter was present during Bakhtiarov’s court hearing, investigators have yet to issue statements regarding his ELP.
In a parallel move, on March 12, 2025, the SBTC board proposed a new bill to Congress, titled the “Standards Affirming Fluency in English (SAFE) Motor Carrier Act of 2025.” The legislation mandates that states must test for English proficiency during Commercial Driver License (CDL) knowledge testing to ensure drivers can adequately read and speak English. “The states (shall be required) to test for English proficiency during Commercial Driver License (CDL) knowledge testing to confirm drivers of commercial motor vehicles can read and speak the English language sufficiently,” the proposal states. “This requirement shall not be waived by the Secretary, and the Secretary shall require department enforcement personnel and the states to place out of service any CMV driver found to not be able to read or speak English while operating a CMV.”
The SBTC's push for better enforcement of the ELP regulation policies comes in light of substantial public safety concerns, as recent accidents illustrate the potential dangers of non-English speaking drivers on the road. As this dialogue unfolds, the SBTC continues to advocate for stronger compliance, hoping to foster a safer environment on America's roadways.
