Original Date Announced

President Trump issued Executive Order 14286, “Enforcing Commonsense Rules of the Road for America's Truck Drivers," which builds upon Executive Order 14224 "Designating English as the Official Language of the United States." EO 14286 declares that the administration will enforce longstanding federal safety-regulations requiring commercial drivers to "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.”

The EO directs the Secretary of Transportation, acting through the Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), to rescind, within 60 days of the order, the previous English-language testing policy. The Secretary must issue new guidance to FMCSA and enforcement personnel outlining revised inspection procedures necessary to ensure compliance with the requirements of 49 CFR 391.11(b)(2). The Secretary should also “identify and begin carrying out additional administrative, regulatory, or enforcement actions to improve the working conditions of America’s truck drivers."

Trump 2.0 [ID #1737]

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.05.20 FMCSA MC-SEE-2025-0001 - English Language Proficiency Under 49 CFR § 391.11(b)(2)

Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Philip W. Thomas issued a memorandum to FMCSA staff implementing EO 14286. The memo requires FMCSA to "initiate all roadside inspections in English" and to "conduct an [English Language Proficiency] assessment" if "the inspector's initial contact indicates that the driver may not understand the inspector's initial instructions." The memorandum prohibits using translation or interpretive services at this step. It further requires, if the inspector determines the driver cannot communicate sufficiently in English, that the inspector "plac[e] the driver immediately out-of-service" and "when warranted, initiat[e] an action to disqualify the driver from operating commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce." In border commercial zones along the U.S.-Mexico border, "FMCSA enforcement personnel should cite drivers for violations . . . but should not take follow-on actions of placing the driver out-of-service or initiating an action to disqualify the driver."

FMCSA's methodology for determining whether a driver can communicate sufficiently in English is redacted as a law enforcement procedure or technique. The memorandum also rescinds prior English-language proficiency guidance, except for 2014 guidance applicable to hearing-impaired drivers.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.06.16 CVSA - Letter on Incorporating English Language Proficiency Assessments

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance board, which sets criteria used by law enforcement across the U.S. to determine whether a vehicle is out of service, incorporates into these criteria 49 CFR § 391.11(b)(2). That regulation requires that commercial drivers have English proficiency as interpreted by the FMCSA's May 20, 2025 memorandum. The CVSA requirement is effective June 25, 2025.

The board adopted the provision under an emergency bylaw, "to meet the president's 60-day deadline," bypassing a vote by Class I CVSA members, which include "state/provincial/territorial agencies . . . represented by various police departments, highway patrols, departments of transportation, public utility and service commissions, departments of motor vehicles, and ministries of transportation."

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.06.27 FMCSA - President Trump's Transportation Sec Announces Nat'l Audit of States Issuing Non-Domiciled Comm Driver's Licenses

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that he has directed the FMCSA "to conduct a nationwide compliance review of states issuing non-domiciled Commercial Driver's Licenses (CDLs). The review will examine state procedures for issuing non-domiciled CDLs to identify and stop any patterns of abuse and ensure federal standards are being met across the country." DOT's press release states that "[t]his action responds directly to" EO 14286.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.08.19 DOT - Trump’s Transportation Secretary Announces Investigation into Deadly Florida Truck Crash, Shares Preliminary Findings

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy announced that the FMCSA has launched an investigation into a recent Florida highway crash that resulted in multiple fatalities. Investigators interviewed the truck driver involved and administered an English Language Proficiency (ELP) assessment that the driver failed. The FMSCA is also investigating whether the driver's Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) was issued in accordance with federal regulations.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.08.21 DOS - Rubio Tweet halting issuance of work visas for truckers

The U.S. Department of State has paused the issuance of work visas for commercial truck drivers coming to the United States. Secretary of State Rubio asserted that "[t]he increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers."

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.08.25 FL AG - FDACS to check commercial drivers for English proficiency

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Commissioner Wilton Simpson announced that agricultural law-enforcement officers, who are certified federal agents under the 287(g) program, will use agricultural interdiction stations on major highways to identify migrants who are in the country without authorization, including through English proficiency tests. Simpson's officers have already arrested more than 100 undocumented persons, see https://www.wctv.tv/2025/08/25/florida-cracks-down-truck-drivers-without-english-skills-immigration-enforcement/.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.08.25 FL AG - Letter to DOT Secretary Sean Duffy

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier wrote a letter to Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Duffy requesting that the pending DOT audit of non-domiciled CDL issuance "be expanded to include both regular and Non-Domiciled CDLs" and that Duffy "direct the FMCSA Administrator to decertify California's and Washington's CDL programs if the audit confirms a pattern or practice of deliberately, recklessly, or negligently issuing CDLs in violation of federal law."

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.09.26 DOT - Trump's Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy Takes Emergency Action to Protect America's Roads, Restrict Non-Domiciled CDLs

Secretary Duffy announced an interim final rule restricting issuance of non-domiciled commercial drivers' licenses (CDLs), as well as enforcement actions against California based on the FMSCA audit of non-domiciled CDL issuance, alleging that "more than 25% of non-domiciled CDLs were issued improperly." The announcement states that "[t]he state must immediately: 1. Pause issuance of non-domiciled CDLs. 2. Identify all unexpired non-domiciled CDLs that fail to comply with FMCSA regulations. 3. Revoke and reissue all noncompliant non-domiciled CDLs if they comply with the new federal requirements." "California has 30 days to come into compliance, or FMCSA will withhold federal highway funds—starting at nearly $160 million in the first year and doubling in year two."

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.09.29 FMSCA-2025-0622 - Interim Final Rule: Restoring Integrity to the Issuance of Non-Domiciled Commercial Drivers Licenses

The FMSCA and DOT issued an interim final rule (IFR) tightening regulations for states that issue commercial- driving credentials to foreign-domiciled individuals. The rule limits eligibility for non-domiciled commercial learner's permits (CLPs) and CDLs to non-citizens with lawful employment-based immigration status or those from certain U.S. territories. It requires applicants to present valid immigration documents, undergo verification through the SAVE system, and appear in person for renewals.

Comments on the IFR must be received by November 28, 2025. DOT issued a subsequent notice correcting a typo.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.09.20 Reported: Texas halts commercial drivers licenses for many immigrants - The Texas Tribune

The Texas Tribune reports that Texas will no longer issue or renew CDLs for DACA recipients, refugees, or people with asylum. DPS noted that pending applications for non-citizens for CDLs will be terminated. "Refugees make up around 1.2% of all truck drivers in Texas, according to the American Immigration Council, which also estimates that 1.1% of truck drivers in the state are people eligible for DACA."

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.10.15 DOT - Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy Announces Consequences for California’s Failure to Enforce English Language Requirements for Truckers

DOT Secretary Duffy announced that the FMCSA will withhold $40 million from California because it is the "only state in the nation that refuses to ensure big rig drivers can read our road signs and communicate with law enforcement" in English. The funding would have supported state-level roadside inspections, traffic enforcement, safety audits of trucking companies, and public-education campaigns. To restore funding, California must "adopt and actively enforce" requirements compatible with the federal ELP regulations for commercial drivers, including by testing drivers' English skills at roadside inspections and removing from service those who fail.  

The $40 million is in addition to $160 million in federal highway funds that Secretary Duffy threatened to withhold from California based on its issuance of non-domiciled CDLs.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.10.20 Petition for Review - Lujan v. FMCSA

The Public Citizen Litigation Group filed a Petition for Review in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of Jorge Rivera Lujan, Aleksei Semenovskii, the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO (AFSCME), and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). The petition challenges the interim final rule, "Restoring Integrity to the Issuance of Non-Domiciled Commercial Drivers Licenses (CDLs)," issued by the Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on September 29. According to a press release by Public Citizen, the lawsuit "will challenge both the substance of the rule and FMCSA's failure to follow rulemaking procedures required by law." Lujan v. FMCSA, No. 25-1215 (D.C. Cir.).

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