🚨 USDOT Links Fatal Crashes to Lack of English Proficiency Among Truck Drivers

As part of a renewed push to enforce English Language Proficiency (ELP) standards for commercial drivers, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has pointed to two fatal crashes involving truck drivers who required translators as evidence that lack of ELP is a direct threat to highway safety.

The statement comes just days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on April 28, 2025, reinstating strict federal requirements for commercial drivers to speak, read, and understand English as a condition for licensure and operation. The 2025 order reverses a 2016 policy that had weakened enforcement of those standards.

🧾 USDOT Issues Strong Statement on ELP

Following the executive order, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a public statement on behalf of USDOT, emphasizing that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has documented “multiple fatal incidents” linked to drivers’ inability to read signage or communicate in English.

“Federal law is clear. A driver who cannot sufficiently read or speak English—our national language—and understand road signs is unqualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle in America. This commonsense standard should have never been abandoned,” said Duffy.“This Department will always put America’s truck drivers and the motoring public first.”

🚨 Crash #1: The 2019 I-70 Colorado Tragedy

USDOT referenced the deadly 28-vehicle pileup on I-70 near Lakewood, Colorado, that occurred on April 25, 2019. In that incident:

• Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, a Cuban-born truck driver hauling lumber, lost control of his vehicle after reaching speeds of over 85 mph in a zone where trucks are restricted to 45 mph.

• Despite several warning signs and the presence of a runaway truck ramp, Aguilera-Mederos bypassed the ramp and plowed into congested traffic, resulting in a fiery pileup involving 24 passenger vehicles and 4 trucks.

• Four people died, and several others were injured.

• Aguilera-Mederos used a translator during interviews with law enforcement and in court.

• He was originally sentenced to 110 years in prison after being convicted on 27 counts, including vehicular homicide. The sentence was later reduced to 10 years after widespread public backlash.

USDOT noted that the driver’s inability to read or react to posted safety signage may have contributed to the tragedy.

🚨 Crash #2: January 2025 Bridge Fatality in West Virginia

The second case cited occurred on January 19, 2025, on the Cheat Lake Bridge in Monongalia County, West Virginia, under severe winter weather conditions.

• Sukhjinder Singh, a New York-based driver, was reportedly traveling at unsafe speeds when he jackknifed and struck a vehicle driven by 59-year-old Kevin C. Lataille, forcing the vehicle off the bridge and into the lake below.

• Lataille’s body was recovered a week later.

• Police reported Singh was driving recklessly, hitting multiple vehicles.

• Singh required a translator to communicate with law enforcement during the post-crash investigation.

While officials stopped short of definitively stating that a lack of English caused the crash, USDOT referenced the need for better language-based qualifications in preventing similar tragedies.

⚖ Policy and Enforcement Reinstated

The 2025 Executive Order on English Proficiency:

• Reaffirms the requirement under FMCSA regulation 391.11(b)(2) for commercial drivers to read and speak English well enough to interact with enforcement, read road signs, and complete written logs and reports.

• Directs USDOT and FMCSA to collaborate with CVSA to reinstate the enforcement of ELP during inspections and roadside evaluations.

• Calls for states to review non-domiciled CDLs and improve language standards during licensing exams.

🛡 Why It Matters

These tragic events serve as stark reminders of why language proficiency is not just a paperwork formality but a life-and-death safety standard. When commercial drivers cannot understand directional signage, emergency notifications, or verbal instructions from enforcement, everyone on the road is at risk.

📣 Final Word from Safety Lane

USDOT's renewed emphasis on English proficiency enforcement sends a clear signal: regulatory leniency will no longer be tolerated when safety is on the line.

As the trucking industry adjusts to these changes, CellEx Consulting Group urges all carriers to review their driver qualification files, retrain where needed, and seek assistance with language assessment protocols.

Safety isn’t optional. Communication is critical. Compliance starts with understanding. Stay safe. Stay compliant. Stay ahead with Safety Lane Magazine.