The United States has suspended the issuance of work visas for professional truck drivers. This information was announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The Trump administration is tightening regulations, targeting foreign-language drivers and those who obtained their licenses in states where they do not reside. “The growing number of foreign drivers on U.S. roads threatens American lives and undermines the livelihoods of American truckers,” Rubio wrote on Twitter, adding that the decision is effective immediately.
Support from the American Trucking Associations (ATA)
Chris Spear, President of the American Trucking Associations (ATA), supports this decision, especially since following his organization’s request, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy initiated a nationwide audit to determine how many licenses have been issued to non-residents. “We also believe it is necessary to intensify the enforcement of key regulations to prevent bad actors from operating on our nation’s roads. We will continue to work with federal and state authorities to identify gaps in the enforcement of these regulations,” Spear added.
Tragic Accidents Lead to Policy Change
In connection with several fatal accidents this year, English Language Proficiency (ELP) has never been so widely publicized. In recent months, there have been several tragic accidents. In one of them, in Florida, three people died. The driver, Harjinder Singh, who did not speak English, worked for White Hawk Carriers Inc., which has since been shut down. It was found that he obtained his license in the states of Washington and New Mexico, which violated regulations. “This accident was a preventable tragedy,” said Duffy. He emphasized that a lack of law enforcement has turned the trucking industry into a “lawless frontier” where unqualified foreigners obtain licenses to operate 40-ton vehicles. Also this year, in May, in Alabama, a truck hit four cars. The driver and passenger, both without English proficiency, were in the U.S. on work visas. Two people died in that accident. In response to these events, President Trump signed an executive order enforcing the rule requiring truck drivers to be proficient in English. As of June 25, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Administration (CVSA) has included a lack of English language proficiency as a standard criterion for taking a vehicle out of service. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the American Trucking Associations (ATA) support this decision and are strengthening cooperation to enforce existing regulations.
