WASHINGTON — Highway police and motor carrier inspectors in California are out over $40 million for failing to place truck drivers that violate the Trump administration’s new English Language Proficiency (ELP) requirements out of service, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Wednesday.
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“Let me be clear – this is valuable money that should be going to the great men and women in California law enforcement, who we support,” Duffy said in a press statement. “Gov. [Gavin] Newsom’s insistence on obstructing federal law has tied my hands,” he said, referring to the California governor.
Duffy and the Department of Transportation announced in August that California, along with New Mexico and Washington, risked losing millions of dollars in Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) funding – which is distributed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration – if they failed to crack down on truck drivers who failed to show proficiency in reading and speaking English, giving the states 30 days to comply.
“I put states on notice this summer: enforce the Trump Administration’s English language requirements or the checks stop coming,” Duffy said on Wednesday. “California is the only state in the nation that refuses to ensure big rig drivers can read our road signs and communicate with law enforcement. This is a fundamental safety issue that impacts you and your family on America’s road.”
FMCSA is withholding from California a total of $40,685,225 in MCSAP grants, which were to go towards conducting roadside inspections, traffic enforcement, safety audits of trucking companies, and public education campaigns.
Previous approval of California’s FY24 and FY25 Commercial Vehicle Safety Plan has been withdrawn effective October 15, DOT stated, which means no expenses incurred after October 15 and vouchered for reimbursement from FY24 or FY25 MCSAP funding will be approved and paid.
To get the funding restored, California “must adopt and actively enforce a law, regulation, standard, or order that is compatible with the federal ELP requirement for commercial drivers,” according to DOT. “This means state inspectors need to begin conducting ELP assessments during roadside inspections and place those who fail out-of-service.”
To get the funding restored, California “must adopt and actively enforce a law, regulation, standard, or order that is compatible with the federal ELP requirement for commercial drivers,” according to DOT.
“This means state inspectors need to begin conducting ELP assessments during roadside inspections and place those who fail out-of-service.”
A recent study conducted by the University of Tennessee at Knoxville analyzing federal roadside inspection data from May 1 through September 21 found there had been an uptick in enforcement of ELP throughout the country in June and July, following President Trump’s April executive order on English language requirements for truck drivers.
But the study also found that California basically ignored the order, with inspectors in the state citing fewer ELP violations after the order was issued compared to before.
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Click for more FreightWaves articles by John Gallagher.
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