Following the start of the United States government’s executive order requiring B1 visa holders to be proficient in English in order to operate on the country’s roads, no major impacts on cross-border transport have been recorded so far . However, the measure is believed to be part of President Donald Trump’s actions to combat cabotage .

In the framework of the discussion  Intermodal and foreign trade, challenges 2025 , organized by the National Association of Vehicle Tracking and Protection Companies (ANERPV) , Diego Anchustegui, president of the Mexican Association of Intermodal Transport (AMTI) , said that currently the impact is not so strong because there is not a great need for transportation, derived from the tariff policy of the United States, among other factors.

“We still have a cushion now. How will it continue to affect us? Well, we’ll see over time. We’re not seeing a huge impact. We don’t know how many operators there are with B1 visas or how many are operating in the United States who don’t speak English. All of the associations don’t know the impact yet,” he stressed.

It’s worth remembering that on April 28, the White House announced that Trump signed an executive order requiring all trucking operators to demonstrate English proficiency to operate on U.S. roads. June 25, the date designated by the U.S. government to rigorously implement the measure, marked the beginning of a stricter phase.

The measure establishes, among other factors, that operators with B1 visas must communicate in English with the authorities of their northern neighbor or else face fines and disqualification.

In his participation, Anchustegui commented that these types of measures were taken due to alleged abuses in the handling of B1 visas , which are granted to operators for trips originating in Mexico and ending in the United States, and vice versa.

He emphasized that U.S. authorities detected that cabotage—transporting merchandise within U.S. territory—was taking place, and that Mexican operators were using this permit to make a trip between Los Angeles, California, and Chicago , Illinois , which is not permitted.

“This began to attract the attention of the authorities, and they sought to resolve this problem, which was pushing this permit to its limits,” said the commercial director of EASO Transport .

At the event, he concluded that in light of this situation, there was a change in the regulation of this type of visa .

As you may recall, there have already been cases of trucking operators whose visas have been revoked for alleged cabotage, as Alfonso Millán, delegate of the National Chamber of Cargo Trucking (Canacar)  in Tijuana, explained to T21.

“They revoked their visas and forced them to sign a form voluntarily withdrawing their request for admission to the United States. Only one refused to sign, and that’s why he remains detained, awaiting an immigration judge,” Millán said.

The case involved 20 Mexican operators who were intercepted in early July by immigration authorities at a checkpoint set up at one of the exits of Calexico, California, after which they were accused of allegedly engaging in cabotage , an activity prohibited for Mexican trucking.

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El cargo Combating cabotage may be behind the requirement for B1 operators to use English. apareció primero en T21.

The National Association of Private Transportation (ANTP) considered the U.S. government’s requirement that trucking operators be proficient in English to drive on U.S. roads to be a “non-tariff barrier ,” a situation that could affect trade with its northern neighbor.

In an interview, Leonardo Gómez , executive president of ANTP, stated that currently more than 95% of drivers do not have fluent English .

“Therefore, trade will be affected. If 80% of the goods going to the United States are transported by truck, then you can see the impact this could have,” he emphasized.

According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) , cross-border freight trade in North America reached $144.8 billion in March, an increase of  8.4% year-over-year and 35% year-over-year.

Of that figure, $77.3 billion corresponded to trade with Mexico , which grew 13% year-on-year.

He specified that during that month, trucking moved the vast majority of cargo, that is, 94.2 billion dollars , an increase of 9.5% compared to March 2024.

It is worth remembering that Donald Trump , President of the United States, issued an order last April requiring all trucking operators to demonstrate proficiency in English to drive on the country’s roads . After this, on May 20, Sean P. Duffy, Secretary of Transportation of the United States, signed a new guide for compliance with this measure.

Therefore, commercial trucking operators crossing the border must demonstrate proficiency in this language, otherwise they will face being “out-of-service” starting June 25.

“President Donald Trump and Secretary Duffy believe English proficiency is a common-sense, non-negotiable safety requirement for professional drivers, as they must be able to read and understand traffic signs; communicate with highway patrol officers, Border Patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight limit station personnel; and provide and receive feedback and instructions in English,” the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) said in a statement .

In this regard, Leonardo Gómez said, “We believe that the issue of signage and the exchange of information should be sufficient for drivers to operate their own vehicles today. It would be worth pointing out what they’re doing wrong so that these types of rules can be applied.”

However, he announced that, together with the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications, and Transportation (SICT), they are analyzing the possibility of establishing a manual on drivers’ needs, so that they can be implemented first in the border area.

Safe paradores or “rest and service paradores”

Similarly, Gómez noted that, according to a study conducted by the Business Coordinating Council (CCE) , there is a shortage of 1,400 shelters in Mexico , of which 700 could be built. He also mentioned the need to improve some of the existing shelters.

“They’ve already been identified, invest. Now, we’re not asking the government to make that investment; it should be public-private through a joint venture,” he commented.

He explained that a tool for identifying the locations where this type of infrastructure is needed is the Bill of Lading . “This should help us see where the greatest influx of cargo and movement is occurring; that’s where you have to invest first.”

He warned that of the total number of inns currently in existence, only five or six meet all the requirements .

According to Mexican Official Standard NOM-087-SCT-2-2017, which establishes driving and break times for federal truck drivers, for every five hours of driving, they must take a 30-minute break; additionally, the maximum driving time in 24 hours may never exceed 14 hours, and eight hours of rest are required.

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El cargo The imposition of English on trucking companies is a “non-tariff barrier”: ANTP apareció primero en T21.

First came U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order in April 2025 requiring all trucking operators to demonstrate proficiency in English to drive on U.S. roads.

Then, the Secretary of  Transportation  of our northern neighbor,  Sean P. Duffy , signed a  new guideline that leaves those who do not comply with that rule “out -of- service” starting June 25.

And as if it were a new chapter in a saga, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) seems determined to keep up the pressure and has issued a new recommendation: transportation managers must interview their operators in English as part of the qualification process.

Until recently, interviewing an operator meant checking their experience, license, driving record, and, if applicable, their basic English proficiency. Today, language is no longer an accessory: it’s part of the filter.

And it’s not just about saying hello. The interview should include questions that determine whether the operator is capable of handling an inspection: what is the origin and destination of their trip, how long they’ve been in service, what their license says, what cargo they’re carrying, and what equipment is being inspected. All without the help of apps , translators, or support cards.

At least one operator has already been removed from service for being unable to communicate in English during an inspection, and although the official implementation is scheduled for June 25, some inspectors have already begun to apply the criterion. This was stated by Juan Carlos Varela , director of the Transportation Division in  Palos Garza .

To address this new scenario, the company hired bilingual instructors and implemented a rotating training program with sessions before and after each crossing.

“We provide two hours of training before the export trip and two hours upon return. We also use recorded audio for reinforcement. We can’t allow language to be a barrier to continuing to operate,” Varela explained.

According to the FMCSA, this checkpoint must not only check whether the driver can communicate with officers on the road, but also whether the driver understands traffic signs . Therefore, it suggests that the manager select some signs from the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and ask the driver to explain their meaning.

This part can be answered in Spanish, as long as the manager understands, but everything else must be done in English.

In this regard, Ángel Hernández, general manager of  Super Transporte Internacional (STI) , has begun strengthening internal filters . Although his company has not reported any sanctions for this reason, they are already preparing for what could be a stricter application of the requirement.

“There hasn’t been a general situation where there have been a high number of violations, there haven’t been, but it can be forced,” he warned.

As part of this preventive strategy, they have incorporated basic language assessments supported by official materials .

“We’re administering some small language proficiency tests, and CECATI (Industrial Work Training Centers) also gave us some guidelines,” Hernández explained.

From his experience at the border, Héctor Hinojosa, delegate of the National Chamber of Cargo Transportation (Canacar) , acknowledged that English training is not a novelty , but rather a pending task that the sector has neglected by focusing on the urgent.

“There have always been courses, but we let our guard down a bit to keep the business moving forward,” he admitted.

For him, strengthening language proficiency is both a means of meeting an international requirement and protecting operators.

“They’re not coming as tourists; they’re driving a tractor-trailer, they’re providing a service,” he emphasized.

Therefore, your company has already begun resuming training, with the expectation that both authorities, Mexican and American, can coordinate a gradual transition.

Still, he knows there will be operators who decide not to continue: “Some will return to domestic routes, others will continue training to enter the United States properly,” Hinojosa said.

For now, the industry is clearly reorganizing. Some are correcting course, others are rethinking internal processes, but in all cases, the message is the same: speaking English is no longer an added value; it’s part of the minimum qualifications required to cross the line.

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El cargo The saga continues, now FMCSA suggests English interviews for operators apareció primero en T21.

Knowing how to say “hello” and “bye” is no longer enough to operate on U.S. roads; the issue remains, as U.S. authorities continue to pressure truck drivers to master English .

Following U.S. President Donald Trump ‘s executive order last April requiring all truck drivers to demonstrate proficiency in English to drive on U.S. roads, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy signed new enforcement guidelines on May 20.

As if it were a reality show where contestants must meet extreme requirements in record time, the United States will require all commercial trucking operators crossing the border to demonstrate a genuine command of English, or face being “out -of- service” starting June 25.

The new guidance requires heavy commercial vehicle drivers to be able to read and understand traffic signs, communicate with authorities, and understand regulatory documents in English, posing a direct challenge to Mexican operators who frequently cross the border.

In February 2025, cross-border trade between Mexico, the United States, and Canada reached $131.6 billion , a 2.1% increase year-over-year. Of this total, trucking moved $86.6 billion in merchandise , representing 3.9% annual growth, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) .

This growth demonstrates the importance of trucking in international trade, especially for Mexico, which plays a key role in cross-border trade.

The challenge begins! Are you ready?

But as in every reality show , there are good challenges and others not so good. Some industry players told T21 that this measure could be a challenge to promote training , to maintain competitiveness at an international level, but others also see it as an opportunity to reduce the shortage of operators in Mexico .

With such a crucial market at stake, any measure affecting trucking operators , such as requiring English proficiency in the United States, could impact Mexico’s competitiveness in cross-border trade and could also have significant repercussions on the daily operations that maintain the steady flow of goods.

This decision, which reverses the Obama administration ‘s 2016 policy that relaxed language requirements, underscores a core belief of the Trump administration: “English proficiency is essential for traffic safety,” according to the press release and the measure published by the United States.

For the United States, this represents a step toward reducing accidents caused by a lack of communication between drivers and authorities. But the question remains: How will this measure affect Mexican operators who depend on cross-border trade connections to operate in the United States?

With more than 99,000 operator vacancies in Mexico registered in 2024 , according to the International Road Transport Union (IRU) , the new US measure could somewhat reverse the shortage of drivers in Mexico , since there are operators who, not mastering English before June 2025, will be left filling vacancies in Mexican territory.

The measure will primarily affect all commercial drivers operating in the United States, including those with foreign licenses or B-1 and H-2B visas . This new guidance will be implemented throughout the United States by federal and state inspectors, implying a widespread reach.

Likewise, Mexican companies must act quickly to ensure their operators comply with the new requirements. Verification of English proficiency and specialized training will be essential to avoid sanctions and ensure competitiveness in the cross-border market.

While this measure represents a challenge for the sector, it could also benefit it, as by excluding operators who don’t meet English requirements, it could open up new opportunities for Mexican drivers to fill those vacant positions, helping to reduce the operator shortage in Mexico.

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El cargo Out of service! EU will not accept operators who do not speak English. apareció primero en T21.