U.S. Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC) joined Reps. Troy Nehls (R-TX) and Bob Onder (R-MO) to introduce the legislation that would establish a uniform national English proficiency test for commercial driver’s license applicants.
The Standardized Assessment for Fluency in English for Drivers Act (SAFE Drivers Act) would require the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to develop a uniform test for English proficiency that would be administered during CDL license applications and renewals in every state.
“If you can’t read ‘Bridge Out Ahead’ or communicate with a state trooper at a crash scene, you have no business driving an 80,000-pound truck on American highways,” Harrigan said. “We have federal rules that require English proficiency, but no standardized test to enforce them, so states like California hand out commercial licenses to drivers who can’t understand basic safety instructions. The SAFE Drivers Act fixes that by requiring one uniform English test nationwide before any CDL is issued. No more guesswork, no more state-by-state loopholes, just one standard that keeps Americans safe.”
Current federal regulations require English proficiency for CDL licenses, but there is no standardized test for it, the law makers said. States are free to use their own tests which can create uneven applications of the law and create enforcement gaps. The FMCSA test would be required to assess the driver’s ability to read road signs, understand spoken instructions and complete written reports. The legislation also allows the Transportation Secretary to withhold federal highway funding from any state that fails to issue the proficiency test.
The legislation is largely backed by the trucking industry.
“The ability to read road signs, understand the rules of the road, and communicate with law enforcement officials is vital to ensuring the safety of all motorists. That’s why English proficiency is a requirement for operating a commercial motor vehicle, but uneven enforcement across all 50 states has created dangerous loopholes. We welcomed President Trump’s executive order that provided much-needed clarity in this area, and we commend this effort by Representative Harrigan to establish an objective, uniform, and effective test during the CDL issuance and renewal process. ATA stands ready to work with the Administration and Congress on ensuring there is uniform enforcement and a high standard of safety on our highways,” the American Trucking Association said in a statement.