DOT Sec Sean Duffy Unveils New English-Only CDL Test Requirement for Truck Drivers
The new rule would require all commercial driver’s license (CDL) exams to be administered in English. (Credit: Pool)
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced significant changes to commercial trucking regulations on Friday, introducing a new mandate that all commercial driver’s license (CDL) exams must be conducted exclusively in English.
During a press conference at the Department of Transportation (DOT) headquarters in Washington, D.C., Duffy, alongside Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Derek Barrs, explained that this initiative aims to enhance oversight and ensure that drivers can effectively read road signs and communicate with law enforcement.
“What we’re doing is implementing a rule that will say there’s one language in which you can take your test — It’s English only,” Duffy stated. “You take the test in English. You can’t speak English, you can’t read English — You’re not going to do well on the test.”
Duffy pointed out that several states, including California, currently allow CDL exams to be taken in multiple languages.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks at the Department of Transportation headquarters, Friday, in Washington, D.C., where he announced sweeping changes to CDL testing nationwide. (Pool)
“In the state of California, you can take the driver’s test, the skills test and the proficiency test — you can take it in 20 different languages,” he added.
Alongside the English-only testing requirement, Duffy indicated that the DOT will encourage states to disqualify drivers who do not meet federal English proficiency standards.
“What we’re going to do in the future is ask states to disqualify your license,” he remarked.
Duffy also criticized the previous administration’s oversight, claiming that former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg failed to enforce stringent standards for certifying commercial driving schools.
DOT TEMPORARILY HALTS ENFORCEMENT OF BIDEN-ERA REFUND REQUIREMENTS FOR AIRLINE FLIGHT RENUMBERING
Trucks at a facility in Bakersfield, Calif. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Duffy alleged that numerous commercial driving schools, which he labeled as “CDL mills,” lacked adequate curriculum and training. According to him, the DOT has shut down 7,000 of these institutions.
“We should expect that we should be safe, and that those who drive those 80,000-pound big rigs are well-trained, well-qualified, and safe,” Duffy emphasized.
Recently, federal officials conducted over 8,200 inspections under Operation SafeDRIVE, resulting in 704 drivers being taken out of service. Approximately 500 of these drivers were cited for failing to meet English proficiency standards.
This announcement comes in the wake of several high-profile accidents involving drivers who were in the country illegally.
AMERICANS ARE PUMPING THE BRAKES ON ELECTRIC VEHICLE ADOPTION: ‘AFFORDABILITY IS A BIG ISSUE’
A commercial driver’s license of Singh Sukhdeep, an illegal immigrant from India, accused of killing an Indiana man in a February 2026 crash. (Obtained by Fox News / Fox News)
Earlier this month, Bekzhan Beishekeev, a truck driver from Kazakhstan who entered the U.S. in 2023 using the CBP One app, allegedly killed four people in a crash in Indiana. He had been issued a CDL in Pennsylvania.
In another incident last August, Harjinder Singh, who received a CDL in California, allegedly made an illegal U-turn, jackknifed his truck, and caused a crash that resulted in three fatalities. He now faces three counts of vehicular homicide.
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Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz, Peter D’Abrosca, Bill Melugin, and Garrett Tenney contributed to this report.
The new rule would require all commercial driver’s license (CDL) exams to be administered in English. (Credit: Pool)
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced significant changes to commercial trucking regulations on Friday, introducing a new mandate that all commercial driver’s license (CDL) exams must be conducted exclusively in English.
During a press conference at the Department of Transportation (DOT) headquarters in Washington, D.C., Duffy, alongside Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Derek Barrs, explained that this initiative aims to enhance oversight and ensure that drivers can effectively read road signs and communicate with law enforcement.
“What we’re doing is implementing a rule that will say there’s one language in which you can take your test — It’s English only,” Duffy stated. “You take the test in English. You can’t speak English, you can’t read English — You’re not going to do well on the test.”
Duffy pointed out that several states, including California, currently allow CDL exams to be taken in multiple languages.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks at the Department of Transportation headquarters, Friday, in Washington, D.C., where he announced sweeping changes to CDL testing nationwide. (Pool)
“In the state of California, you can take the driver’s test, the skills test and the proficiency test — you can take it in 20 different languages,” he added.
Alongside the English-only testing requirement, Duffy indicated that the DOT will encourage states to disqualify drivers who do not meet federal English proficiency standards.
“What we’re going to do in the future is ask states to disqualify your license,” he remarked.
Duffy also criticized the previous administration’s oversight, claiming that former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg failed to enforce stringent standards for certifying commercial driving schools.
DOT TEMPORARILY HALTS ENFORCEMENT OF BIDEN-ERA REFUND REQUIREMENTS FOR AIRLINE FLIGHT RENUMBERING
Trucks at a facility in Bakersfield, Calif. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Duffy alleged that numerous commercial driving schools, which he labeled as “CDL mills,” lacked adequate curriculum and training. According to him, the DOT has shut down 7,000 of these institutions.
“We should expect that we should be safe, and that those who drive those 80,000-pound big rigs are well-trained, well-qualified, and safe,” Duffy emphasized.
Recently, federal officials conducted over 8,200 inspections under Operation SafeDRIVE, resulting in 704 drivers being taken out of service. Approximately 500 of these drivers were cited for failing to meet English proficiency standards.
This announcement comes in the wake of several high-profile accidents involving drivers who were in the country illegally.
AMERICANS ARE PUMPING THE BRAKES ON ELECTRIC VEHICLE ADOPTION: ‘AFFORDABILITY IS A BIG ISSUE’
A commercial driver’s license of Singh Sukhdeep, an illegal immigrant from India, accused of killing an Indiana man in a February 2026 crash. (Obtained by Fox News / Fox News)
Earlier this month, Bekzhan Beishekeev, a truck driver from Kazakhstan who entered the U.S. in 2023 using the CBP One app, allegedly killed four people in a crash in Indiana. He had been issued a CDL in Pennsylvania.
In another incident last August, Harjinder Singh, who received a CDL in California, allegedly made an illegal U-turn, jackknifed his truck, and caused a crash that resulted in three fatalities. He now faces three counts of vehicular homicide.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz, Peter D’Abrosca, Bill Melugin, and Garrett Tenney contributed to this report.
