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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