California, Washington and New Mexico could lose millions of dollars in federal funding if they continue failing to enforce English language requirements for truckers, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Tuesday.
The warning follows a deadly August 12 crash in Florida involving a foreign truck driver who made an illegal U-turn, killing three people. Duffy said the incident exposed “significant failures” in how the three states were applying rules that took effect in June under one of President Donald Trump’s executive orders.
“This is about keeping people safe on the road. Your families, your kids, your spouses, your loved ones, your friends. We all use the roadway, and we need to make sure that those who are driving big rigs — semis — can understand the road signs, that they’ve been well trained,” Duffy said, according to the Associated Press.
Truckers are supposed to be disqualified if they can’t demonstrate English proficiency. Duffy said the driver in the Florida crash, Harjinder Singh, “should not have ever been given a commercial driver’s licence because of his immigration status.” Federal officials say Singh was in the US illegally.
California could lose $33 million, Washington $10.5 million and New Mexico $7 million from the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program if they don’t comply within 30 days, according to the Transportation Department.
Duffy cited inspection records showing California conducted more than 34,000 checks since June but only one resulted in a driver being removed for failing English rules. Washington inspectors logged more than 6,000 safety violations but only pulled four drivers. New Mexico has not removed any drivers under the new standards.
“This is not political,” Duffy said. “It’s about safety.”
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The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association trade group welcomed the move. “Basic English skills are critical for safely operating a commercial motor vehicle — reading road signs, following emergency instructions, and communicating with law enforcement are not optional. The fatal crash in Florida this month tragically illustrates what’s at stake,” said Todd Spencer, the group’s president, news agency AP reported.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said Singh “should have never received a commercial driver’s licence,” calling the crash “an avoidable tragedy.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office, meanwhile, said Singh obtained a work permit during Trump’s first term and had it renewed in April, though Homeland Security officials disputed that.
Singh, who entered the US from Mexico in 2018, is being held without bond and faces three counts of vehicular homicide along with immigration violations. His public defender, Diamond R Litty, told AP that her office will focus on the criminal charges, while an immigration lawyer will handle his status. “Unfortunately, Mr. Singh has been caught in the crosshairs of politics,” she said.