LOS ANGELES (NewsNation) — There are growing safety concerns on America’s highways as U.S. truckers are saying roads are becoming increasingly dangerous due to non-English-speaking drivers who do not fully understand the rules of the road.
A survey conducted by the American Transportation Research Institute found that non-English-speaking truckers are a top concern among drivers.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, California is the only state refusing to enforce a new federal requirement for English proficiency in the trucking field. The finding comes just a week after a trucker, in the U.S. illegally, allegedly caused a chain reaction crash on a Southern California freeway, killing three people. The commercial driver’s license of the 21-year-old trucker now facing charges had been upgraded by the state less than a week before the deadly crash, which remains under investigation.
According to the Transportation Department, more than a quarter of the commercial driver’s licenses obtained by noncitizens in the state of California have been issued improperly.
There are an estimated 150,000 Sikh truck drivers in the U.S., with the largest population in California. Most are drawn to the industry because of accessibility, flexible schedules and compatibility with religious practices.
NewsNation affiliate Border Report recently spoke with one such trucker, who said he’s now questioned more often about his proficiency in English.
“You don’t have to be scared, you know,” said Paramveep Singh. “Calm down and give them an answer. People should know English to communicate with each other. You know, that’s our international language.”
States throughout the U.S. have revoked driving privileges for 5,500 commercial truck drivers who failed basic English assessments while working north of the border, according to Israel Delgado Vallejo, vice president of Mexico’s Northwest Chamber of Freight Transporters.
Six months ago, President Trump issued an executive order reinstituting an existing law that mandates commercial truck drivers must speak and understand enough English to read road signs and interact with law enforcement.