By Katherine Tinsley
3:28am PDT, May 1, 2025
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The
New York Post reported on April 29 that Donald Trump signed an order directing the Department of Transportation to test truckers' literacy.
"This is a big problem in the trucking community," White House press secretary
Karoline Leavitt said.
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According to Karoline Leavitt, language barriers cause safety issues for truckers.
"You might not know, but there's a lot of communication problems between truckers on the road with federal officials and local officials, as well, which obviously is a public safety risk," she said, according to the New York Post.
"So we're going to ensure that our truckers, who are the backbone of our economy, are all able to speak English," she added. "That's a very commonsense policy."
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Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy's role will now follow the new protocol.
A White House official shared that Duffy is to "rescind guidance that watered down the law requiring English proficiency for commercial drivers."
The official added that Duffy will "carry out additional administrative, regulatory, or enforcement actions to improve the working conditions of America's truck drivers."
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Before Donald Trump's second term, the United States didn't have an official language, but the president signed an executive order in March changing that status.
"President Trump believes that English is a non-negotiable safety requirement for professional drivers, as they should be able to read and understand traffic signs; communicate with traffic safety officers, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station personnel; and provide and receive feedback and directions in English," a White House official said.
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Donald Trump explained the reasoning behind his decision to finally assign the U.S. an official language, writing in his executive order, "A nationally designated language is at the core of a unified and cohesive society, and the United States is strengthened by a citizenry that can freely exchange ideas in one shared language."
