New Trump order demands English fluency for U.S. Truckers by 2025
President Donald Trump signed a controversial executive order requiring all American truck drivers to demonstrate their English proficiency, sparking criticism from labor groups and human rights activists.
American President Donald Trump signed an executive order to eliminate the language barrier, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a White House press briefing on April 28. As per Leavitt, "We will make sure that our truck drivers, who are the backbone of our economy, can speak English."
The order directs the Department of Transportation to include English literacy tests for truck drivers in their tests. "This is a common-sense policy," Leavitt stated. She emphasized that there is a serious safety issue due to "communication problems between truck drivers on the road and federal and local officials," she said.
Is Trump's order requiring truck drivers to speak English discriminatory?
The new policy to make truck drivers in the United States speak proper English has already sparked outrage from transport unions and human rights groups. Its opponents claim that it is highly discriminatory against foreign-speaking drivers and is likely to create a shortage of drivers in the industry.
It is among a string of "common-sense" national security measures favored by the Trump administration. Leavitt further stated that the president had signed 45 executive orders intended to strengthen public education and secure borders.
When will Trump's executive order requiring truck drivers to speak English take effect?
While no specific date has been set by the Trump administration, the order must be implemented within the next few months by the Department of Transportation. It will be tasked with significantly impacting the U.S. transportation industry, particularly foreign truck drivers.
"It's a matter of safety and common sense," Leavitt said in responding to the blanket criticism of the measure. She again made it a point to say that the executive order is meant to institute more dialogue between truck drivers and officials, and improve the safety of the roads.
Trump administration designates English as the official language of the U.S.
Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14224 on March 1, 2025, making English the official language of the United States. This action reversed a 2000 order by President Bill Clinton, which had required federal agencies and recipients of federal funds to provide language assistance to limited English speakers.
