AUSTIN, Texas (KXXV) — Governor Greg Abbott announced on Thursday that he is directing the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) to strictly enforce an English language proficiency requirements of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations.
At the Governor's direction, DPS' Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Troopers and inspectors will be doing English Language Proficiency reviews for all commercial license operators on Texas roadways.
The Governor also directed DPS to stop issuing intrastate commercial driver licenses for drivers that cannot speak English sufficiently to communicate with department personnel.
"Truckers play an instrumental role in Texas' robust economy and in keeping our highways safe. Every commercial driver license operator on Texas roadways must be able to communicate clearly in English to ensure compliance with traffic laws, follow safety directions, and prevent accidents. Today, I am directing DPS to enact zero-tolerance enforcement of these federal safety regulations across the board—whether drivers are operating across state lines or only within Texas. This approach will keep Texans safe while keeping our economy moving.”
DPS and partner agencies have already taken enforcement action against approximately 445 commercial vehicle drivers in Texas for English proficiency violations. Of those, around 28 have Texas licenses, while approximately 336 were licensed in Mexico and the remaining were licensed in other states and countries.
This comes after President Donald Trump's June 25, 2025 executive order that directs full enforcement of English proficiency requirements for commercial drivers.
