MAY 1, 2025 |
Photo – Semi trucks parked in a row – Bigfoot99 file photo
Wyoming Congresswoman Harriet Hageman expressed her support for President Trump’s executive order requiring commercial truck drivers to speak and understand English.
On April 10th, Congresswoman Harriet Hageman sent a letter to the Department of Transportation, urging the federal agency to review the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s lax enforcement of minimum English proficiency standards.
Congresswoman Hageman linked the rise in fatal truck crashes across the nation to commercial drivers’ increasing lack of English proficiency. In her letter, the Congresswoman wrote that in 2022, the Cowboy State had the second-highest number of fatal crashes involving large trucks in the country, at 21%, second only to South Dakota.
Additionally, the National Highway Traffic Administration concluded that in 2022, Wyoming saw the highest number of fatal collisions involving commercial trucks per capita, with 5.1 crashes per 100,000 residents.
In 2024, the Wyoming Department of Transportation concluded that commercial motor vehicles were involved in just over 15% of fatal crashes in the Cowboy State.
Before 2016, commercial vehicle drivers were required to, “speak and read the English language sufficiently enough 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.”
That same year, 2016, under the guidance of the Barack Obama Administration, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reduced enforcement of its long-standing minimum English proficiency requirement. Now, commercial vehicle drivers may use a variety of methods to communicate with officials during roadside inspections, including interpreters, cue cards, and smart phone applications.
On Monday, April 28th, President Donald Trump signed an executive order requiring all commercial truck drivers to be properly qualified and demonstrate a minimum proficiency in English.
A media release issued by the White House states that the executive order directs Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to rescind the Obama-era guidelines that weakened the law requiring English proficiency for commercial drivers.
The White House release states President Trump believes English is a non-negotiable safety requirement for professional drivers. Commercial truckers must be able to read and understand traffic signs, communicate with traffic safety officers, and provide and receive feedback and directions in English. Monday’s order aligns with President Trump’s Executive Order 14224, which designated English as the official language of the United States.
In a separate media release, President Trump wrote that by enforcing the existing English requirements, his administration is protecting the safety of American truckers, drivers, passengers, and everyone else on the road.
The executive order will ensure that anyone behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle is properly qualified and proficient in our national language, English.
The executive order gives Secretary of Transportation Duffy 60 days to identify and begin carrying out the additional administrative, regulatory, and enforcement actions needed to improve the working conditions of America’s truck drivers.
In an April 28th social media post, Wyoming Congresswoman Harriet Hageman applauded President Trump’s executive order, writing that many in Wyoming, including our law enforcement, have spoken to her about the dangers posed by truckers who are unable to read highway signs. Congresswoman Hageman wrote that it is not unreasonable for us to want commercial drivers to be able to read English, especially in Wyoming where we have changing weather conditions on one of the most traveled interstates in the U.S. The Congresswoman is referring to Interstate 80.
In March, a semi-truck driver named Borys Bakhtiarov lost control of his vehicle on I-80 east of Rawlins and crashed head on into another commercial carrier. The driver of the other truck was seriously injured and his co-driver died from injuries sustained in the crash. Wyoming Highway Patrol reported that Bakhtiarov does not speak English and required an interpreter when he was seen in Carbon County Circuit Court.
Congresswoman Hageman thanked President Trump for joining her in supporting the nation’s truckers.
Trump notably took executive action in March to establish English as the official language of the United States.
In part, the order reads: “To promote unity, cultivate a shared American culture for all citizens, ensure consistency in government operations, and create a pathway to civic engagement, it is in America’s best interest for the Federal Government to designate one — and only one — official language. Establishing English as the official language will not only streamline communication but also reinforce shared national values and create a more cohesive and efficient society.”
