President Trump signed a new executive order on April 28 that revives a little-enforced rule requiring all commercial truck drivers to read and speak English. The order frames it as a safety issue and directs federal agencies to start enforcing the policy within 60 days.

“Drivers need to provide feedback to their employers and customers and receive related directions in English. This is common sense,” the order reads. It builds on an earlier directive from March that designated English as the official national language.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) must now replace 2016 guidance that relaxed enforcement of the language rule.

For context, the requirement itself isn’t new.

Federal law already states that commercial drivers must “read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals in the English language, to respond to official inquiries, and to make entries on reports and records.” 

But that law has rarely been enforced.

Rough estimates suggest that 12–15% of America’s truck drivers speak limited or no English

Many of them entered the industry during past labor shortages, often taking jobs that others didn’t want. This executive order could push a chunk of those drivers off the road, either through disqualification or fear of inspections.

At the same time, the freight industry is already slowing. Recent tariffs on Chinese and European goods have cut shipping volume, and consumer demand isn’t what it was during the pandemic-era boom. Some carriers are already laying off drivers or reducing routes. In that light, the order may accelerate layoffs that were already coming.

The administration says the policy is about safety and supporting American drivers. The order calls on the Department of Transportation to “improve the working conditions of America’s truck drivers” and review irregularities in commercial license issuance, particularly for non-citizens.

Industry reactions vary

Some praise the move as long overdue, arguing that communication on the road is a basic necessity. Others warn it could limit the labor pool, especially in regions where immigrant drivers keep freight moving.

The bigger question may not be about language; it may be about timing. With fewer shipments to haul and a cooling economy, the trucking industry is already tightening its belt. This order could reshape who stays in the truck driver’s seat, but the freight slowdown might have done that anyway.