Texas is ramping up roadside English proficiency checks on truck drivers in a bid to keep unsafe operators off the road, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday.
The Department of Public Safety (DPS) will now test drivers’ English skills during inspections and licensing reviews — applying the rule to both interstate and intrastate operators.
“I am directing DPS to enact zero-tolerance enforcement of these federal safety regulations across the board,” Abbott said. “This approach will keep Texans safe while keeping our economy moving.”
The move follows a June 25 directive from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requiring English proficiency as a zero-tolerance condition for commercial drivers.
Since then, roughly 445 drivers have been flagged in Texas for failing the requirement, according to Abbott’s office. About 28 carried Texas-issued CDLs, 340 held licenses from Mexico, and the rest were licensed elsewhere.
Texas is home to more CDL drivers than any other state, with about 212,770 tractor-trailer operators as of May 2023, federal data shows.
The Texas Trucking Association (TXTA) endorsed the crackdown, saying English skills are critical to road safety.
“When drivers cannot read road signs, weather alerts, or digital instructions near bridges, overpasses, or construction zones, it puts every motorist at risk,” according to a statement from TXTA President and CEO John D. Esparza.
