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BumRushDaShow

(151,663 posts)
Tue Apr 29, 2025, 07:05 AM Tuesday

Trump executive order requires truck drivers to speak English

Source: The Hill

04/28/25 7:16 PM ET


President Trump signed an executive order on Monday that requires commercial truck drivers in the United States to be proficient in English. The text of the order acknowledges the essential role that truck drivers play in the U.S. economy and the livelihood of American people.

“Every day, truckers perform the demanding and dangerous work of transporting the Nation’s goods to businesses, customers, and communities safely, reliably, and efficiently,” the order said.

Trump designated English as the country’s official language in an executive order in March. In his order on Monday, the president said proficiency in English should be non-negotiable for professional drivers.

“They should be able to read and understand traffic signs, communicate with traffic safety, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station officers,” the order said. “Drivers need to provide feedback to their employers and customers and receive related directions in English.”

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5271893-trump-executive-order-truck-drivers-speak-english/



"Price of eggs", "Kitchen table issues", "Working class".
35 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Trump executive order requires truck drivers to speak English (Original Post) BumRushDaShow Tuesday OP
Mad King doth proclaim... MiHale Tuesday #1
The president should speak English Old Crank Tuesday #2
Thank god he signed it. Chipper Chat Tuesday #3
That's the problem with this alleged President. Janbdwl72 Tuesday #29
He truly lives in a bubble Chipper Chat Tuesday #33
And if they don't?? C_U_L8R Tuesday #4
Again, the fact that the entire country did not laugh their assess off over this... OldBaldy1701E Tuesday #5
Yep, said truckers seemed to be doing ok before this EO. brush Tuesday #30
I'm guessing the Teamsters? Or maybe it's the longshoremen's unions FakeNoose Tuesday #35
This EO may well put some of his own "voters" out of work Best_man23 Tuesday #6
Just another red herring to keep his magats stirred up groundloop Tuesday #7
My state has driverless trucks k_buddy762 Tuesday #8
This Is Not The Law Of The Land... This Is Merely Sound And Fury Signifying Bullshit MayReasonRule Tuesday #9
In fact, the ability for a commercial driver to speak and read English has been the law of the land since the 1930s onenote Tuesday #15
Yes, MarineCombatEngineer Tuesday #17
Agreed. onenote Tuesday #18
The ability to read and speak English has been a requirement for commercial truck licenses since the 1930s. onenote Tuesday #10
This was nothing more than an attempt to repeal FMCSA MC-ECE-2016-006 BumRushDaShow Tuesday #16
Correct. Here's a copy of the guidance that Trump wants repealed. onenote Tuesday #19
The Oregon document kept coming up in the search BumRushDaShow Tuesday #20
Yep. I couldn't find it as a stand alone either. onenote Tuesday #21
Hmmm... lonely bird Tuesday #11
Working for 40 years in a steel warehouse it was difficult understanding many doc03 Tuesday #12
Many immigrants and foreign truck drivers speak better English than our president IronLionZion Tuesday #13
Does President Donald Dumbass know there's a shortage of drivers? JohnnyRingo Tuesday #14
Translate: 10-4, Smokey's taking pictures. usonian Tuesday #22
Are they going to start arresting truckers who don't speak English? Zorro Tuesday #23
It's all moot... El Mimbreno Tuesday #24
Si, senor. chuckle chuckle republianmushroom Tuesday #25
Those that don't will have plenty of time to learn, being that all of them are laid off now.... Blue Owl Tuesday #26
It would be nice if Trump did get the red out Tuesday #27
He can go shove each and every one of these highly illegal executive orders straight up his ass! Initech Tuesday #28
Even 3rd generation Tennesseans, Brooklynites, Nor'easterners, Cajuns, south Texans etc? marble falls Tuesday #31
TSF can't enforce it. no_hypocrisy Tuesday #32
I'd like to issue a "popular order," sort of like a "people's new rules." DFW Tuesday #34

Janbdwl72

(181 posts)
29. That's the problem with this alleged President.
Tue Apr 29, 2025, 12:41 PM
Tuesday

His Administration's priorities are warped and make little sense. Much of this is a waste of taxpayers' time and sometimes ultimately, money.

Chipper Chat

(10,352 posts)
33. He truly lives in a bubble
Tue Apr 29, 2025, 03:21 PM
Tuesday

No contact with real everyday Americans.
He only knows Fox News asskissers and his kool-aid drinkers like the magas at.
his rally in Michigan today. His staff and family certainly won't tell him anything he doesn't want to hear.

OldBaldy1701E

(7,759 posts)
5. Again, the fact that the entire country did not laugh their assess off over this...
Tue Apr 29, 2025, 07:55 AM
Tuesday

Tells me a lot.

brush

(59,718 posts)
30. Yep, said truckers seemed to be doing ok before this EO.
Tue Apr 29, 2025, 01:10 PM
Tuesday

Wonder whose coming up with tis crap for trump?

Best_man23

(5,232 posts)
6. This EO may well put some of his own "voters" out of work
Tue Apr 29, 2025, 08:02 AM
Tuesday

Truck driving is a field of work that includes many with poor education, not just folks for whom English is a second language. What parameters do they place when the Convicted Felon says "proficiency"? Some of his own voters working in the Over-the-Road (OTR) trucking industry may not be able to pass a "literacy test" concocted by the Junta.

There is already a shortage of OTR truck drivers. Couple this with the ever decreasing traffic at US ports and its a perfect storm for a recession.

k_buddy762

(94 posts)
8. My state has driverless trucks
Tue Apr 29, 2025, 08:26 AM
Tuesday

moving between several major cities, and has for years now. All trucks will eventually be robotically driven. A sad day indeed.

MayReasonRule

(3,269 posts)
9. This Is Not The Law Of The Land... This Is Merely Sound And Fury Signifying Bullshit
Tue Apr 29, 2025, 08:39 AM
Tuesday
This will be fought out in the courts.

onenote

(45,179 posts)
15. In fact, the ability for a commercial driver to speak and read English has been the law of the land since the 1930s
Tue Apr 29, 2025, 09:24 AM
Tuesday

Trump's EO could result in more stringent and possibly arbitrary standards for compliance, which would be bad. But the requirement itself is not at all new.

This is the current version of the regulation: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-391/subpart-B/section-391.11

onenote

(45,179 posts)
18. Agreed.
Tue Apr 29, 2025, 09:35 AM
Tuesday

In fact, the enforcement policy was changed in 2016 to recognize that the requirement can be met by a driver using tools to facilitate communication such as interpreters, I-Speak cards, cue cards, smart phone applications, and On-Call Telephone Interpretation Service.

Trump's EO would revoke that guidance and likely will result in arbitrary and more stringent standards of enforcement.

onenote

(45,179 posts)
10. The ability to read and speak English has been a requirement for commercial truck licenses since the 1930s.
Tue Apr 29, 2025, 08:44 AM
Tuesday

The current version of the requirement is that a commercial truck driver must be able 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.”

Whether the implementation of Trump's order will result in additional, arbitrary requirements is something to watch out for.

BumRushDaShow

(151,663 posts)
16. This was nothing more than an attempt to repeal FMCSA MC-ECE-2016-006
Tue Apr 29, 2025, 09:28 AM
Tuesday

which was a memo issued in 2016 that supposedly (and it has been a nightmare actually trying to find a full copy of it thanks to 45's purging of anything Biden or Obama), puts some stipulations on handling the language requirements - e.g. indicating using discretion when confronting a driver who might have an interpreter with them, and there was even a related provision to handle those with hearing disabilities who may have been proficient in ASL but obviously unable to fully "speak" English, etc.

The movie "CODA" that won a Best Picture Oscar with deaf cast members, had a scene where there were federal inspectors boarding the family's fishing boat and some of the issues that happens in that instance.

Much of what comes up in the searches are the propagandized demands to reverse the memo.

onenote

(45,179 posts)
19. Correct. Here's a copy of the guidance that Trump wants repealed.
Tue Apr 29, 2025, 09:39 AM
Tuesday

I should have included in my original email that current guidance allows the requirement that a driver be able to communicate in English be met using "tools to facilitate communication such as interpreters, I-Speak cards, cue cards, smart phone applications, and On-Call Telephone Interpretation Service." Trump's repeal of that guidance likely will result in more stringent and arbitrary standards for enforcement.

The 2016 guidance is attached to this Oregon government document: https://www.oregon.gov/odot/MCT/SafetyNoticesBulletins/SafetyNotice_English-Proficiency.pdf

BumRushDaShow

(151,663 posts)
20. The Oregon document kept coming up in the search
Tue Apr 29, 2025, 09:58 AM
Tuesday

and it has been excerpted in other places. But trying to get it as a standalone has been a PITA.

lonely bird

(2,280 posts)
11. Hmmm...
Tue Apr 29, 2025, 09:06 AM
Tuesday

This may become another method for rounding up Brown people by using traffic stops.

Whether said people are here with proper documentation will be irrelevant.

doc03

(37,773 posts)
12. Working for 40 years in a steel warehouse it was difficult understanding many
Tue Apr 29, 2025, 09:17 AM
Tuesday

of the truckers from some states that claimed to speak English.

IronLionZion

(48,651 posts)
13. Many immigrants and foreign truck drivers speak better English than our president
Tue Apr 29, 2025, 09:17 AM
Tuesday

We should require all US presidents to speak English.

JohnnyRingo

(19,871 posts)
14. Does President Donald Dumbass know there's a shortage of drivers?
Tue Apr 29, 2025, 09:18 AM
Tuesday

It's difficult enough to obtain a CDL license without having to pass an English test.

El Mimbreno

(799 posts)
24. It's all moot...
Tue Apr 29, 2025, 11:10 AM
Tuesday

if there are no loads to haul.
Drivers have been advised not to haul loads to LA, since there's a good chance they'll be deadheading home.

Blue Owl

(56,070 posts)
26. Those that don't will have plenty of time to learn, being that all of them are laid off now....
Tue Apr 29, 2025, 12:29 PM
Tuesday

Initech

(104,624 posts)
28. He can go shove each and every one of these highly illegal executive orders straight up his ass!
Tue Apr 29, 2025, 12:39 PM
Tuesday

And the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society need to be permanently banned from DC!

DFW

(57,850 posts)
34. I'd like to issue a "popular order," sort of like a "people's new rules."
Tue Apr 29, 2025, 03:45 PM
Tuesday

It would require any president to pass an oral and written test of English, including locating "Nambia" on a map, should they state that there is such a place, and defining "covfefe" as it is defined in a Dictionary of the English Language, if they use such a word.

It would furthermore require that all members of the House, the Senate, the Cabinet, and any Federal Judges or members of the Supreme Court take the Citizenship Test that is required of all immigrants wanting to become citizens of the United States. If they cannot pass the test with at least an 80% score, they are barred from taking office, or having a Federal job that places a great deal of importance on literacy. If the Republicans insist on foisting people like Hegseth, Patel, Tuberville and MTG on us, they should at least prove before the Nation that they deserve the position.

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