The Overlooked Issue in the Trucking Industry

What happens when a semi-truck driver can’t read or speak English?

It’s required for a Commercial Driver’s License, but hundreds of truckers without a sufficient understanding of English cross the roads each day. This causes dangerous and potentially deadly situations.

If you couldn’t read signs along the interstate, you would not know to expect lane closures, hazardous conditions, or city-specific regulations.

On many of our Facebook posts, folks have voiced concern over the growing number of non-English speaking drivers. Here’s what we know.

Do Truck Drivers Have to Speak English?

Anyone in the United States who wants to drive a big rig must first earn their Commercial Driver’s License. This involves training, background testing, a skills test and a knowledge exam.

One requirement is that CDL candidates must display a “sufficient” understanding of the English language. This means they can:

1. Converse with the general public
2. Respond to official inquiries
3. Understand highway and traffic signs
4. Make entries on reports and records

However, being able to take and pass the CDL knowledge exam in English doesn’t always mean a driver understands the language. Some prepare for the test and memorize only what they must to pass. After receiving their licenses, they hit the roads with little to no English proficiency.

Taking the CDL Test in Spanish

With more than 40 million Spanish-speaking residents in the U.S., and Spanish ranking as the country’s second most popular language, many wonder if the CDL written exam should be offered in languages other than English.

Illinois is one state that recently adapted its rule to offer the CDL knowledge exam in Spanish.

In July 2024, Illinois sought to make truck- or bus-driving more accessible. The written exam can be translated to Spanish, but the road test and pre-trip inspection must still be conducted in English. This ensures that the drivers are able to understand verbal instructions and comply with FMCSA standards.

Twenty other states, like Maryland, Texas, and Virginia, offer the test in Spanish. Washington state is the most open, allowing CDL candidates to test in English, Spanish, Russian or Serbian-Croatian.

Language Barriers in Trucking and Their Impact on Safety

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s CSA — Compliance, Safety and Accountability — is used to monitor trucking companies’ behavior. If a truck driver has endangered himself or others with dangerous behavior or negligence, his company’s CSA score is raised during roadside inspections. Trucking companies can, by enforcing safety standards, maintain a low CSA score.

A driver who cannot sufficiently read or speak English is in violation of safety standards. Data from the last five years reveals that, in many states, these violations are becoming more common.

The violation description is, “Driver cannot read or speak the English language sufficiently to respond to official inquiries.”

In Illinois, this rose from the 30^th to the 13^th most common violation between 2020 and 2024. The violation lurched from 37^th place to 15^th in Kentucky, and from 22^nd to 12^th in Tennessee.

Why Are There So Many Truckers Who Can’t Speak English?

The trucking industry has a high percentage of foreign-born workers. Immigrants are overrepresented in trucking, according to Census data. Whereas 17% of the American workforce is comprised of immigrants, nearly 19% of truck-drivers are foreign born.

Some sources attribute this to the trucker shortage around 2020. With fewer native-born people seeking a career in trucking, companies turned to immigrant or foreign-born drivers.

This helped make up for the deficit. However, it worsened language barriers within the industry.

Without sufficient knowledge of English, drivers struggle with:

• Pre-trip inspections
• Paperwork related to loads and delivery
• Signage and maps
• Instructions

Wrecks Caused by Semi-truck Drivers Who Don’t Understand English

Commercial motor vehicle drivers who have a poor grasp on the English language may make avoidable mistakes. Reading signs and being able to understand verbal instruction is crucial to drivers’ safety.

Unfortunately, though federal rules mandate truckers to have a sufficient understanding of English, the lines are often blurred or disregarded.

This issue reminds us that commercial vehicle driver training is often inadequate. Even English-speaking and native-born American truck drivers face dangerous situations as a result of poor training.

For foreign-born or non-English speaking drivers, this issue is multiplied.

Get in Touch With the Truck Accident Attorneys at Craig, Kelley & Faultless, LLC

We’ve heard from many former and current semi-truck drivers who believe language barriers are one of the biggest issues in trucking today. It is a problem that must be addressed with stricter regulations and thorough training.

Trucking is an industry that almost anyone — regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or education — can join and succeed in. The key is making sure that these drivers are prepared to avoid accidents and stay safe before they hit the roads.

Truck-accident attorneys can help you navigate a tough situation and identify the factors at play in your accident. Have you been injured in a wreck caused by a negligent truck driver? Contact lawyers at Craig, Kelley & Faultless today.

Reach us at (800) 746-0226 or with our online form.

David W. Craig sits on the Board of Regents of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (which requires the board certification in truck accident law). He is the managing partner and one of the founding partners of Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC. He is recognized as a Top 10 Trucking Trial Lawyer and Top 100 Trial Lawyer in Indiana by the National Trial Lawyers, as well as a Top 50 Indiana lawyer by Super Lawyers. David is the author of Semitruck Wreck, A Guide for Victims and Their Families, written to help people navigate a terrible situation by answering questions that come after a tragic wreck. He also hosts the podcast After the Crash, where you can gain valuable information about the dangers involving semis and large trucks that do not follow Indiana law safety protocol regarding speed, weather conditions, maintenance upkeep, etc.