Trump administration threatens funding for 3 states over trucker English rules

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California, Washington and New Mexico could suffer millions of dollars of national backing if they proceed failing to enforce English connection requirements for truckers, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Tuesday.

An probe launched aft a deadly Florida crash involving a overseas motortruck operator who made an amerciable U-turn connected Aug. 12 recovered what Duffy called important failures successful the mode each 3 states are enforcing rules that took effect successful June aft 1 of President Trump's enforcement orders. He said the section was besides already reviewing however states were enforcing the rules earlier the crash.

Truckers are expected to beryllium disqualified if they can't show English proficiency and Duffy said the operator progressive successful the clang that killed 3 should not person ever been fixed a commercialized driver's licence due to the fact that of his migration status. But the clang has go progressively governmental with the governors of California and Florida criticizing each different and Duffy highlighting the Trump administration's migration concerns successful interviews.

But Duffy said Tuesday that it is simply a information contented — not a governmental 1 — due to the fact that truckers request to recognize roadworthy signs and beryllium capable to pass with instrumentality enforcement astir what they are hauling if they are pulled implicit oregon what happened if determination is an accident.

"This is astir keeping radical harmless connected the road. Your families, your kids, your spouses, your loved ones, your friends. We each usage the roadway, and we request to marque definite that those who are driving large rigs — semis — tin recognize the roadworthy signs, that they've been good trained," Duffy said.

Duffy says these states aren't enforcing the rules

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy speaks during a Cabinet astatine the White House connected Aug. 26, 2025.

The Transportation Department said California has conducted astir 34,000 inspections that recovered astatine slightest 1 usurpation since the caller connection standards took effect requiring motortruck drivers beryllium capable to admit and work roadworthy signs and pass with authorities successful English. But lone 1 inspection progressive an English connection rules usurpation that resulted successful a operator being taken retired of service. And 23 drivers with violations successful different states were allowed to proceed driving aft inspections successful California.

He cited akin statistic for the different states with Washington uncovering much than 6,000 violations of information rules during inspections, but lone pulling 4 drivers retired of work for English connection violations. New Mexico has not placed immoderate drivers retired of work since the rules took effect.

Duffy said the states volition suffer wealth from the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program if they don't comply with the rules wrong 30 days. Duffy said California could suffer $33 million, Washington could suffer $10.5 cardinal and New Mexico could suffer $7 million.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom's property bureau said connected X that the Trump medication is conscionable trying to deflect work for the crash. The different 2 states did not instantly respond Tuesday.

"This is rich. The Trump Administration approved the national enactment licence for the antheral who killed 3 radical — and present they're scrambling to displacement blasted aft getting caught. Sean's nonsense announcement is arsenic large a gag arsenic the Trump Administration itself," Newsom's bureau said.

Florida clang killed 3 people

Three radical were killed erstwhile motortruck operator Harjinder Singh made an amerciable U-turn connected a highway, according to Florida's Highway Patrol. He is being held without enslaved aft being charged with 3 authorities counts of vehicular homicide and migration violations.

A adjacent minivan slammed into Singh's trailer arsenic helium made the crook connected a road astir 50 miles northbound of West Palm Beach. Singh and his rider were not injured.

Diamond R. Litty, the elected nationalist defender successful St. Lucie County, said her bureau was provisionally assigned to Singh's lawsuit during his archetypal quality Saturday morning. A reappraisal of his finances volition find whether Litty's bureau remains connected the case.

Litty said her bureau volition absorption connected the transgression charges against Singh, who is presumed innocent, but they volition besides enactment with an migration lawyer to find however Singh's presumption affects the case. After much than 3 decades astatine her position, Litty said she can't callback a lawsuit that garnered much attraction than this one.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Singh has been caught successful the crosshairs of politics," Litty said.

But the caput of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association commercialized radical that represents small-business motortruck drivers praised Duffy's announcement.

"Basic English skills are captious for safely operating a commercialized centrifugal conveyance — speechmaking roadworthy signs, pursuing exigency instructions, and communicating with instrumentality enforcement are not optional. The fatal clang successful Florida this period tragically illustrates what's astatine stake," the group's president, Todd Spencer, said.

Federal officials accidental motortruck operator was successful U.S. illegally

The Department of Homeland Security has said Singh, a autochthonal of India, was successful the state illegally. So Duffy said helium should not person been granted a commercialized driver's licenses by Washington and California. He said New Mexico should person pulled Singh disconnected the roadworthy for not speaking English aft helium was pulled implicit successful July due to the fact that helium aboriginal failed a trial fixed by DOT investigators aft the Florida crash.

California is 1 of 19 states, successful summation to the District of Columbia, that issues licenses careless of migration status. Supporters accidental that lets radical work, sojourn doctors and question safely.

But successful addition, Newsom's bureau said California officials followed each the rules erstwhile it issued a licence for Singh successful July 2024 and astatine that time, the national authorities confirmed helium was successful the state legally. Newsom has besides said Singh obtained a enactment licence during Mr. Trump's archetypal term, which Homeland Security officials disputed. Newsom besides said the licence was renewed successful April and national officials person not addressed that.

Florida authorities person said Singh entered the U.S. illegally from Mexico successful 2018. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that Singh should person ne'er received a commercialized driver's license.

"You're not allowed to contented a CDL to idiosyncratic who is not successful this state legally. You're not allowed to contented a CDL to idiosyncratic who is not susceptible of knowing postulation signs," DeSantis said, calling the clang an "avoidable tragedy."