WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation plans to ramp up oversight of drivers who are not proficient in English by requiring all knowledge and skills test be administered in English.
“In the state of California you can take the skills test and the proficiency test in 20 different languages,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a press conference at DOT headquarters on Friday. “What we’re doing is implementing a rule that says there’s one language in which you can take your test – it’s English only.”
The new restriction will be one of several upcoming rulemakings that DOT will use to step up pressure on foreign drivers holding non-domiciled CDLs and to crack down on trucking fraud, including modernizing the motor carrier registration system and improving the vetting process for electronic logging devices.
FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs, who joined Duffy, said the agency will be initiating a rulemaking to ensure that new drivers and carriers applying for operating authority “are thoroughly knowledgeable about the application and the safety requirements” before they become a new entrant.
“We’re also going to put in requirements to ensure all brokers are qualified and tested as part of their registration process as well,” Barrs said. “Right now you can pay $300 and become a carrier and run interstate commerce. It’s not acceptable. Good carriers understand what it takes to be safe.”
In addition to continuing to close loopholes that allow “chameleon carriers” with multiple DOT registration numbers to operate – often with a long list of safety violations – Barrs said FMCSA has rulemakings planned that will end the self-certification process for truck driver training schools and reform self-certification for ELD manufacturers.
“For years, chameleon carriers, CDL mills, and weak English language proficiency enforcement have allowed unqualified drivers to slip through the cracks compromising safety as well as facilitating fraud,” said Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association President Todd Spencer, commenting on the administration’s plans.
“Rather than lowering standards, the Trump Administration is strengthening training, licensing, and qualification protocols to ensure properly trained and vetted drivers operate on our nation’s highways.”
