The Department of Transportation announced that it is shutting down 110 truck driving schools for failing to meet English language rules. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy made the forceful move to stop schools that let drivers without proper skills get on the road. This action follows a sharp rise in deadly crashes involving drivers who cannot understand English signs or warnings.
According to reports, non-English-speaking undocumented individuals lack the qualification to operate large trucks on US highways, thereby threatening American lives. He noted that the schools violated strict rules requiring drivers to speak and read English before getting a license. The move aims to protect families on the highway from drivers who cannot read safety alerts or road signs.
The Human Cost of Bad Drivers
President Trump highlighted the danger last month, noting that “Last year alone, illegal aliens with commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) caused at least 30 deaths and many, many very seriously injured.” The President further noted that his administration has already taken more than 24,000 non-English speakers off the road. These numbers come from a surge in accidents involving drivers who simply cannot communicate with other people on the road.
Daily Caller reports indicate that 28 deaths have occurred in 16 crashes involving unauthorized drivers since 2025 began. Many of these drivers did not speak English, and some did not even have the required commercial license. One crash in October involved a driver allegedly under the influence who killed three people in an eight-vehicle pileup.
Former Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called the situation a “terrible tragedy” caused by open border policies. She said these policies allowed an illegal alien to be released and drive an 18-wheeler on America’s highways. The driver in that case entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 before being released by the previous administration.
Why English Skills Save Lives
Secretary Duffy pointed out that learning to drive in another country does not prepare foreign-born drivers for American highways. High-speed traffic and sudden stops create risks that require quick understanding of warnings. “If you’re not well skilled, you’re not well trained,” Duffy said regarding the need for proper preparation. He stressed that anyone without proper licensing has no right to drive an 80,000-pound vehicle on American roads.
The Daily Caller reported that that many of the drivers involved in fatal crashes came from countries like Haiti, India, and China. Half of the drivers in one list originated in India, yet many could not read the signs directing them on the road. Attorney Dax Bello informed the press that the county faces an abundance of unqualified and unfit drivers on its roads.
Bello argued that trucking companies put people behind the wheel of an “80,000-pound lethal weapon” without checking if they are fit to drive. His firm alleges that some carriers have many unsafe driving citations and hours of service violations. The goal of the new crackdown is to “restore rigorous English language proficiency enforcement” across the nation.
In August alone, U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrested 95 illegal aliens working as truck drivers. Most of these drivers received their licenses from states like California and New York. The Department of Transportation will now enforce the rules that require every driver to pass an English test before getting behind the wheel. This step ensures that only those who can read road signs and understand weather alerts are allowed to drive big rigs.
