English-proficiency rule becomes out-of-service violation
Starting June 25, 2025, truck drivers who could not meet the federal English-language requirement could be placed out of service at roadside inspections.
Truck drivers in the U.S. who could not meet the federal English-language proficiency requirement could be placed out of service starting June 25, 2025, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance said.
The rule
The requirement, in Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations 391.11(b)(2), says a driver must be able to read and speak English well enough to converse with the general public, understand highway traffic signs and signals in English, respond to official inquiries, and make entries on reports and records.
CVSA amended its North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria to say drivers who cannot satisfy that requirement, as assessed under Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Enforcement Guidance Memo MC-SEE-2025-0001, will be declared out of service.
The out-of-service criteria are what commercial vehicle enforcement personnel use during inspections to identify violations that prohibit a driver from operating.
How it happened
The change followed an April 28 executive order titled "Enforcing Commonsense Rules of the Road for America's Truck Drivers." On May 1, the CVSA board of directors voted to add the violation to the criteria, effective June 25.
CVSA said the board used an emergency provision in its bylaws, which allows a change without a vote by Class I members, to meet the executive order's 60-day deadline.
In May, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy signed an order announcing new guidelines to strengthen English-language enforcement for commercial truck operators, according to FMCSA.
Scope
CVSA's members are enforcement officials in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. The group said the English proficiency regulation is a U.S. requirement and does not apply in Canada or Mexico.
However, CVSA said drivers and motor carriers from other countries operating in the U.S. must comply.
The violation would not appear in the printed out-of-service criteria until the April 1, 2026, edition, but CVSA said the requirement was in effect and that failure to comply would result in a driver being placed out of service.
What it meant for carriers
CVSA said all inspection procedures were updated to add a note to the "Greet and Prepare the Driver" step that references the FMCSA guidance memo. It directed motor carriers and drivers to FMCSA's website for information on the roadside assessment.