In another major victory for conservatives, President Trump has reportedly signed an executive order that will require truck drivers to pass an English literacy test in an effort to make the roads safer for all Americans and avoid the hiring of illegal immigrants.
For context, a fact sheet released by the White House on April 28, 2025, confirmed that President Trump had signed the executive order that same day. In addition, the fact sheet clarified that the order will ensure that the Secretary of Transportation has the jurisdiction to take any further actions necessary to improve working conditions for truck drivers across the U.S.
Furthermore, the fact sheet provided additional background on President Trump’s motivation for signing the executive order, saying, “President Trump believes that English is a non-negotiable safety requirement for professional drivers, as they should be able to read and understand traffic signs; communicate with traffic safety officers, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station personnel; and provide and receive feedback and directions in English.”
Moreover, the White House clarified that President Trump signed the order out of a commitment “to protect the safety of American truckers, drivers, passengers, and others by ensuring that anyone operating a commercial vehicle is properly qualified and proficient in English, the national language.”
In addition, during a White House press briefing the morning of the signing of the order, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reportedly added that the order exists to resolve “communication problems between truckers on the road with federal officials and local officials as well, which obviously is a public safety risk. Leavitt added, “So we’re going to ensure that our truckers, who are the backbone of our economy, are all able to speak English. That’s a very commonsense policy.”
Following the press conference, a White House official reportedly told the press that the executive order gave Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy the authority to “rescind guidance that watered down the law requiring English proficiency for commercial drivers” and to “carry out additional administrative, regulatory, or enforcement actions to improve the working conditions of America’s truck drivers.”
According to press coverage, the reaction to the executive order from the trucking community has been overwhelmingly positive. Regarding the order, Dan Hovarth of the American Trucking Associations said, “We thank the Trump Administration for responding to our concerns on the uneven application of this existing regulation, and we look forward to working with FMCSA and the law enforcement community on an objective, consistent, and effective enforcement standard.”
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In addition, a representative of the Small Business in Transportation Coalition (SBTC) reportedly praised the executive order as well, telling the press, “America, as a result, will now see that the roads will now be safer with truckers being required to speak, understand, and read English. However, this executive is only as good for as long as Donald J. Trump is President. Congress should take this as a sign that the President believes this is an important public safety issue.”
Watch coverage of the impact of the executive order:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video