NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
As someone who has spent decades training professional truck drivers, I take road safety seriously. America’s economy depends on a national freight network that moves goods across states, across highway corridors, and across communities. When commercial driver safety standards are weakened anywhere, the consequences ripple across the country, putting truckers, supply chains and professional drivers at risk.
That’s why I’m so concerned about the latest comments from Democratic Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett during a House Judiciary Committee hearing, suggesting that knowledge of the English language is not necessary to safely operate a commercial vehicle. He likened it to the same practice as someone driving a rental car in a foreign country where they may not speak the language. His assertions are wrong, dangerous and a disservice to the professionalism of American truckers.
Operating an 80,000-pound commercial vehicle is not remotely similar to driving a passenger car. A commercial driver doesn’t just follow directions from point A to point B. They navigate complex highway systems, respond to emergencies, obey law enforcement instructions, interpret roadside signs, understand weather warnings, and communicate with dispatchers, first responders and inspectors – often under great pressure. English language skills are fundamental to all those jobs.
Across the United States, trucks carry agricultural products from rural communities, consumer goods through major interstate corridors and essential goods to ports, factories, hospitals and distribution centers. From coast to coast, our economy relies on professional drivers to keep cargo moving safely and efficiently. That makes strong, consistent safety standards not a regional concern, but a national imperative.
UNKNOWN TRUCKS CHARGING THE CALIFORNIA DMV FOR COMMERCIAL DRIVER ACCESSORIES.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, questioned the requirement for truck drivers to speak English. (John Medina/Getty Images for MoveOn)
Federal law has long required commercial drivers to demonstrate English language skills for good reason. A commercial driver’s license is not a check mark on paper – it is a promise to society. It tells every driver on the road that the person driving this truck has been properly trained, inspected and held to consistent safety standards. Weakening or undermining those requirements undermines the credibility of the Commercial Driver License (CDL) itself.
This debate cannot be separated from the broader reality facing the trucking industry. Across the country, regulators are finding bad actors who skimp on training, falsify records, or use loopholes to push unqualified drivers onto public roads. These so-called “CDL mills” not only pose a safety hazard – they undermine the hard work of legitimate drivers and reputable training schools that do things the right way.
As a training professional and chairman of the Commercial Vehicle Training Association (CVTA), I see the difference every day between real, rigorous instruction and fake jobs that promise “quick” or “guaranteed” licenses. The actual training of commercial drivers takes time. It includes classroom instruction, skill development, supervised training, and clear communication between instructors and students. None of this works without a shared language.
To be clear, this is not about the release. Trucking has always been a path to opportunity for people from different backgrounds. CVTA supports expanding the workforce – but growth should never come at the expense of safety. Downsizing does not solve labor shortages; it creates more crashes, more deaths, more processing and, ultimately, fewer good jobs.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW MORE FOX NEWS
Our drivers – well-paid professional men and women – deserve better than to have their work taken for granted. To suggest that language proficiency is irrelevant insults the professionalism of drivers who pride themselves on mastering a difficult craft and meeting high expectations every day.
The solution is not new laws or political talking points. The solution is consistent, nationwide enforcement of existing safety requirements. Regulators should fully implement entry-level driver training rules, conduct meaningful audits and crack down on rogue operators wherever they exist. All states should continue to work with government agencies to ensure that every CDL on the road represents real training, real accountability and real competence.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM
If you see a truck in the next lane, you must make sure that the driver can read signs, understand emergency instructions, and respond appropriately in an emergency. That confidence starts with maintaining – and enforcing – standards that put safety first.
We owe that to our drivers and the traveling community.
