{"id":10802,"date":"2025-06-24T13:20:10","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T13:20:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/10802\/"},"modified":"2025-06-24T13:20:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T13:20:10","slug":"us-truckers-worry-about-losing-jobs-as-english-language-policy-takes-effect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/10802\/","title":{"rendered":"US truckers worry about losing jobs as English language policy takes effect"},"content":{"rendered":"

LINDEN, New Jersey (AP) \u2014 At a trucking school<\/a> in New Jersey, students are maneuvering 18-wheelers around traffic cones. Other future drivers look under hoods to perform safety checks, narrating as they examine steering hoses for cracks and leaks.<\/p>\n

An instructor glides between speaking Spanish and English as he teaches Manuel Castillo, a native Spanish speaker, how to inspect a school bus. They\u2019re using a printed script of English<\/a> phrases to practice what Castillo would say during a roadside inspection. <\/p>\n

Brushing up on English has taken on new urgency for future and current truck drivers<\/a> after President Donald Trump issued an executive order<\/a> saying truckers who don\u2019t read and speak the language proficiently would be considered unfit for service. <\/p>\n

\u201cA driver who can\u2019t understand English will not drive a commercial vehicle in this country. Period,\u201d Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy<\/a> said last month while announcing enforcement guidelines that take effect on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Updated U.S. Department of Transportation procedures<\/a> call for enhanced inspections to determine if commercial motor vehicle operators can reply to questions and directions in English, as well as understand highway traffic signs and electronic message boards. <\/p>\n

Truckers who learned English as a second language are concerned they may lose their jobs<\/a> if they make a mistake or speak with a heavy accent while under questioning. Some have worked to improve their English fluency by taking classes, reciting scripts and watching instructional videos.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s not the language that you prefer to use daily, you may get a little nervous and you may feel, \u2018What if I say the wrong thing?\u2019\u201d said Jerry Maldonado, chairman of the board of the Laredo Motor Carriers Association, a trade association in Laredo, Texas, that represents approximately 200 trucking companies. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be, at the end of the day, the interpretation of the officer, so that makes people nervous.\u201d<\/p>\n

The guidance applies to truck and bus drivers engaged in interstate commerce<\/a>. It aims to improve road safety following incidents in which truck drivers\u2019 inability to read signs or speak English may have contributed to traffic deaths, the Transportation Department said. <\/p>\n

English requirement isn\u2019t new<\/p>\n

Requiring truck drivers to speak and read English isn\u2019t new, but the penalty for not meeting the proficiency standard is becoming more severe.<\/p>\n

To get a commercial driver\u2019s license<\/a>, applicants must pass a written test<\/a> and be able to name the parts of a bus or truck in English as they check tire inflation, tread depth, lug nuts and coolants. <\/p>\n

The revised policy reverses guidance issued nine years ago, near the end of then-President Barack Obama\u2019s final term, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. In 2016, the agency said drivers whose English skills were found lacking could receive a citation but not be prohibited from working. Before that, the penalty was getting placed on \u201cout-of-service status.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have bridges that get hit because drivers don\u2019t understand the signs on the bridges for things like height clearance,\u201d Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association President Todd Spencer said. <\/p>\n

Practicing English phrases <\/p>\n

In Laredo, a border city where many residents speak a mix of English and Spanish, Maldonado\u2019s association is offering free English classes on weekends to help truckers feel more confident in their ability to communicate. <\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody knows what a stop sign looks like,\u201d Maldonado said. \u201cBut if there\u2019s construction or if there is an accident five miles down the road, and they have to put up a sign \u2014 \u2018Caution, must exit now, road closed ahead,\u2019 and you are not able to read that or understand that, that could potentially be a safety issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Driving Academy in Linden, New Jersey, multilingual instructors teach students how to inspect vehicle parts in their first language and then provide explanations in English, according to founder Jonathan Marques. The school created scripts so students could practice what to say if they\u2019re stopped<\/a>, he said. <\/p>\n

Students are advised to watch training videos as homework, while licensed truckers can listen to English language apps instead of music when they\u2019re on the road, Marques suggested. <\/p>\n

Instructor Paul Cuartas helps students prepare<\/a> but worries that inspectors will now expect truckers and bus drivers to have perfect English. \u201cI\u2019m concerned because now for all the Spanish people it\u2019s more difficult,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Castillo, who moved to the U.S. from Ecuador in 1993, said he has no problem understanding English but has been watching videos to study industry terms. \u201cSome words I don\u2019t understand, but I try to learn more English,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Asked whether he supports the president\u2019s executive order, Castillo said he voted for Trump but doesn\u2019t agree with the president\u2019s push to deport some immigrants<\/a> who haven\u2019t committed crimes. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe makes a lot of problems, especially for Hispanic people,\u201d Castillo said.<\/p>\n

GTR Trucking School in Detroit also has offered students ESL classes. Co-owner Al Myftiu drove a truck after moving to the U.S. from Albania in 1993. He said he wants to create a small book of phrases that truckers need to learn. <\/p>\n

For students with a thick accent, \u201cI tell them, \u2018Slow down, speak slowly and people can understand you, and if you don\u2019t understand something, you can ask,\u2019\u201d Myftiu said.<\/p>\n

How it will work<\/p>\n

Roadside inspections can be initiated over issues such as a faulty brake light or on a routine basis, and often take place at weigh stations. <\/p>\n

The guidance directs inspectors who suspect a driver doesn\u2019t understand what they\u2019re saying to administer an English proficiency test, which includes both an interview and a highway traffic sign recognition component. <\/p>\n

In the past, some drivers used translation apps to communicate with federal inspectors. The updated policy bars the use of interpreters, smartphones, cue cards or other aids<\/a> during interviews.<\/p>\n

Several truck drivers taking a break at Flying J Travel Center in New Jersey said they support Trump\u2019s order, adding that drivers who heavily rely on translation programs<\/a> probably wouldn\u2019t be able to read important signs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to ask them questions about the business just to strike a conversation, … and they\u2019re not able to communicate with us at all,\u201d Kassem Elkhatib, one of the drivers at Flying J, said.<\/p>\n

Fear of discrimination<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear how safety inspectors will decide whether a driver knows enough English because that portion of the instructions was redacted from the guidance distributed by Transportation Department. <\/p>\n

The department advised motor carriers<\/a> that drivers should be able to answer questions about shipping documents, the origin and destination of trips, and how long they\u2019ve been on duty<\/a>. <\/p>\n

A trucker placed out of service and the company they work for are responsible for ensuring a language violation is corrected before the driver hits the highway again, the Transportation Department said.<\/p>\n

Truck drivers who practice the Sikh religion already face discrimination in hiring and at loading docks, according to Mannirmal Kaur, federal policy manager for Sikh Coalition, an advocacy group. Now they are worried about inspectors making subjective, non-standardized determinations about which of them are proficient in English, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cA truck driver who does speak English sufficiently to comply with federal standards but maybe they speak with an accent, or maybe they use a different vocabulary that the inspector isn\u2019t used to hearing: Is that person then going to be subject to an English language violation?\u201d Kaur asked. \u201cAnd under the new policy, are they then going to be designated out-of-service, which could result in unemployment?\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Video journalist Mingson Lau contributed from Carneys Point Township, New Jersey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LINDEN, New Jersey (AP) \u2014 At a trucking school in New Jersey, students are maneuvering 18-wheelers around traffic…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10803,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[11744,64,11749,69,79,57,11745,63,11747,11743,11746,7801,214,1571,401,6067,11751,11750,358,11748,522,5028,11752,61,67,132,68,93],"class_list":{"0":"post-10802","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-economy","8":"tag-barack-obama","9":"tag-business","10":"tag-dominik-eberle","11":"tag-donald-trump","12":"tag-economy","13":"tag-general-news","14":"tag-jerry-maldonado","15":"tag-jobs-and-careers","16":"tag-jonathan-marques","17":"tag-laredo","18":"tag-manuel-castillo","19":"tag-mi-state-wire","20":"tag-michigan","21":"tag-national","22":"tag-new-jersey","23":"tag-nj-state-wire","24":"tag-paul-cuartas","25":"tag-road-safety","26":"tag-texas","27":"tag-todd-spencer","28":"tag-transportation","29":"tag-tx-state-wire","30":"tag-u-s-department-of-transportation","31":"tag-u-s-news","32":"tag-united-states","33":"tag-unitedstates","34":"tag-us","35":"tag-washington-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114738549965371967","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10802\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}