English-proficiency rule comments split: Sikh Coalition urges withdrawal, ATA backs goal but warns on subjective roadside tests

Comments on the federal proposal to place drivers who do not meet English-proficiency requirements out of service drew sharp criticism from the Sikh Coalition and broad support, with conditions, from major trucking groups, according to FreightWaves on Oct. 14.

The notice of proposed rulemaking took comments through last Friday. The proposal would update regulations so that noncompliance with English-proficiency requirements results in a driver being placed out of service, with an exception for truck traffic localized to the U.S.-Mexico border that is not heading further inland.

The Sikh Coalition said it agrees drivers need a level of English already required by federal law, but asked FMCSA to withdraw the proposal and instead invest in other safety measures. It raised the lack of clear criteria for when inspectors subject drivers to assessments, the lack of information on recourse after an out-of-service order, and the risk of discrimination, citing its analysis that 0.19% of roadside inspections from 2021 to 2025 involved a driver's inability to communicate in or understand English.

The American Trucking Associations broadly backed the goal but said it remains concerned the assessment process leaves room for subjective interpretation, and called for a standardized assessment built into CDL issuance and renewal. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association was more effusive in support, citing a fall from more than 100,000 English-proficiency violations in 2014 to 9,700 in 2024. FreightWaves also noted that English-proficiency violations made up 9.1% of out-of-service orders in this year's Roadcheck and ranked among the top five reasons.

The largest single source of comments was a supporter email campaign referencing Dalilah Coleman, the child injured in a 2024 California crash. FreightWaves reported that passage of the related Dalilah's Law is unlikely this year and would need to be considered by the next Congress.