Tuesday April 29, 2025

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn (HOL) — U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order requiring commercial truck drivers to demonstrate English reading and speaking proficiency—a reversal of an Obama-era policy that had loosened federal enforcement standards. The move is expected to disproportionately affect immigrant drivers, including thousands of Somalis working across the North American trucking industry.

The executive order, titled “Enforcing Commonsense Rules of the Road for America’s Truck Drivers,” mandates that drivers must be able to read road signs, communicate with law enforcement and border officials, and follow customer instructions in English. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was instructed to reinstate the federal regulation known as 49 CFR 391.11(b)(2), which makes English proficiency a core qualification for commercial drivers. White House officials say the regulation had been de-emphasized during the Obama administration.

“Federal law is clear: a driver who cannot sufficiently read or speak English—and understand road signs—is unqualified to operate a commercial vehicle in America,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has been tasked with updating inspection procedures and restoring the policy that allows inspectors to place noncompliant drivers out-of-service. Industry data shows that before the 2016 rollback, more than 80,000 English-language violations were recorded annually. That number dropped to fewer than 10,000 between 2021 and 2024.

The measure has drawn praise from some U.S. industry groups, including the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), which said the order restores “a commonsense safety standard.”

“This is common sense,” said White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt. “There are significant communication challenges between truckers and public safety officers, which pose real risks on the roads.”

However, immigrant and civil rights groups warn the order could impose unfair barriers to employment. Among those affected are Somali truck drivers, who have become a vital part of North America’s long-haul logistics network.

“It’s not just Somalis—it also affects drivers from Asia and Latin America,” said Cilmi Mohamed Mubaarig, a former truck driver and now a journalist. “Some Somali drivers don’t speak fluent English but have driven safely for years. The order will now require them to pass a language test.”

Somalis have increasingly entered the trucking profession in recent years, drawn by its flexibility, autonomy, and—most profoundly—a cultural echo of traditional nomadic life. Known historically as roob raac or “rain followers,” Somalis once moved with the seasons in search of pasture and water. Today, many navigate the vast interstates of North America, hauling freight instead of livestock.

Digital platforms like Clubhouse and TikTok have become mobile gathering spaces where Somali drivers share everything from road tips to music, recreating the communal life of Somalia’s past in the cab of an 18-wheeler.

The Sikh Coalition, which represents another large immigrant trucking community, warned the policy could discriminate against non-native English speakers and worsen labour shortages in a sector already struggling to retain workers.

“About 90 percent of the 150,000 Sikhs in the U.S. trucking sector are drivers,” the group said in a statement. “They play a vital role in maintaining supply chains and ensuring goods reach communities. This order risks excluding many of them.”

The executive order marks the second language-related directive signed by Trump after returning to office in January. In March, he issued a separate executive order declaring English the official language of the United States.