Thousands of truckers lose license under Trump's English mandate
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A truck drives through the Port of Oakland on Aug. 26, 2025. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Around 9,500 truck drivers have been pulled off the road for failing to meet English-language proficiency requirements reinstated by the Trump administration.
The big picture: Immigrants account for an estimated 18% of all truck drivers, and some estimates show that the industry is already short tens of thousands of drivers.
- Trump signed an executive order in April requiring all commercial truck drivers to demonstrate proficiency in English, reversing an Obama-era policy that eased the requirement. The policy took effect on June 25.
- The Transportation Department says the policy is a necessary safety measure to ensure all drivers can read and comprehend traffic signs and communicate with and receive feedback from safety officers — including Border Patrol.
- "This administration will always put you and your family's safety first," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X.
By the numbers: There are more than 3.5 million commercial truck drivers in the U.S.
- Texas and Wyoming had removed the highest number of drivers from the road since the policy took effect in June, according to a Bloomberg analysis of federal data.
Catch up quick: After an undocumented immigrant was accused of causing a fatal crash in Florida in August, Secretary of State Marco Rubio paused the issuance of new visas for truck drivers.
- The Transportation Department also required California to revoke the commercial driver's licenses of 17,000 immigrants in November to prevent the state from losing $40 million in federal funding.
What they're saying: "OOIDA strongly supports Secretary Duffy's action to enforce long-standing English Language Proficiency requirements for commercial drivers," Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association President Todd Spencer told Axios.
- "Nobody cares more about road safety than professional truck drivers, and it is common sense that anyone operating an 80,000 pound vehicle must be able to read critical road signs, follow emergency instructions, and communicate with law enforcement and first responders."
