US bars 7,200 truck drivers for failing English tests, Indian-origin truckers hit hard

Announcing the crackdown on October 30, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that 7,248 drivers were declared “out of service”—effectively debarred from driving—in 2025 for failing real-time roadside English Language Proficiency (ELP) checks. The figure, drawn from real-time data in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) national inspection database, marks a dramatic jump from roughly 1,500 such debarment orders until July 2025,

The move comes in the wake of several high-profile accidents, including a devastating pileup on a California highway in October involving an Indian driver accused of killing three Americans. According to Department of Transportation (DOT) sources, the driver, an illegal alien who was able to secure a California Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), failed the English test multiple times before the incident. DOT officials allege that the state’s lax adoption of Trump-era language rules enabled the tragedy, with Secretary Duffy publicly criticizing “sanctuary states” like California for flouting new federal guidance.

In another case earlier in August, Indian national Harjinder Singh was involved in a deadly triple-fatality on the Florida Turnpike despite questionable English language proficiency credentials, according to safety records. Both cases have intensified scrutiny of Commercial Driver’s License issuance practices, especially toward non-domiciled drivers from India and other South Asian countries, a demographic increasingly prominent in US trucking owing to persistent driver shortages.

The revived rule, 49 CFR 391.11(b)(2), requires all Commercial Driver’s License holders to read and speak English well enough to converse with the public, understand signs, communicate with officials, and maintain accurate reports. Enforcement was relaxed under an Obama administration memo, which since 2016 had discouraged inspectors from removing drivers solely for English language proficiency (ELP) deficiencies. This changed after President Trump’s 2025 executive order and a series of directives by the transportation department mandating immediate debarment for failing English language tests as of June 25, 2025.

Under the new policy, roadside inspectors test drivers with basic questions, traffic sign identification, and conversational tests. Officers report that in one fatal crash, an Indian national answered only two out of twelve questions correctly and failed nearly all signage queries.

India remains one of the top sources for newly licensed commercial drivers in the US, especially in states such as Texas and California. The North American Punjabi Truckers Association that says there are between 130,000 and 150,000 Indian-origin truck drivers in the US, confirms that many debarred drivers are of Punjabi and Haryanvi origin.

Industry leaders warn of growing disruption for cross-border fleets and bilingual operators. “These drivers know the regulations, but now they’re debarred over language perception,” said Adalberto Campero, CEO of a prominent logistics company. Many trucking companies say enforcement is hurting supply chains and disproportionately affecting drivers from non-English speaking regions.

Secretary Duffy has sharply criticized states like California for issuing commercial driving licenses without enforcing stringent federal language standards.