More than 7,000 commercial truck drivers have been taken out of service in 2025 for failing to meet federal English language proficiency standards, reports New York's FreightWaves.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said 7,248 drivers were sidelined as of October, citing real-time data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The figure marks a sharp rise from 1,500 in July, following increased enforcement since the rule's reinstatement in June.

The updated policy stems from a White House executive order that reversed a 2016 FMCSA memo. English proficiency was re-added to the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's out-of-service criteria on 25 June, making noncompliance grounds for immediate removal.

FMCSA's inspection database recorded 5,006 violations through October. Texas and Arizona reported the highest counts, with Texas issuing 6,265 commercial driver's licences to non-citizens in 2024 alone.

Industry groups and southern border carriers argue the rule unfairly targets bilingual drivers. Adalberto Campero, CEO of Unimex in Pharr, Texas, said experienced drivers are being sidelined over language perception, not safety.

Texas has issued over 3.2 million CDLs since 2015, including 51,993 to non-domiciled drivers. Carrier executives say the enforcement shift has disrupted operations and worsened driver shortages.