The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) announced that, effective June 25, 2025, truck drivers who cannot demonstrate English language proficiency will be placed out of service. This decision aligns with President Donald Trump’s executive order mandating the enforcement of existing federal regulations requiring commercial drivers to read and speak English sufficiently to understand traffic signs, respond to official inquiries, and complete necessary reports. The CVSA’s board voted to amend the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria under an emergency provision to meet the 60-day implementation deadline set by the executive order.
Additionally, the CVSA plans to petition the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to update 49 CFR 391.11(b)(2) to explicitly identify English language proficiency violations as out-of-service conditions. The CVSA also seeks to harmonize English proficiency standards between CDL testing and driver qualification regulations to ensure consistent enforcement across the industry.
Read the official announcement here: CVSA to Add English Language Proficiency to Its Out-of-Service Criteria
