Congressman Taylor Introduces the Commercial Motor Vehicle English Proficiency Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Dave Taylor (OH-02), Congresswoman Harriet Hageman (WY-AL), and Congressman Greg Steube (FL-17) today introduced the Commercial Motor Vehicle English Proficiency Act, which would require all testing required to earn a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) to be conducted in English. This bill is the House Companion bill to S. 2114, which was introduced in the Senate by Senators Roger Marshall (R-KS), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), and John Barrasso (R-WY) on June 18, 2025. Representatives Buddy Carter (GA-01), Tracey Mann (KS-01), Derrick Van Orden (WI-03), Mary Miller (IL-15), and Paul Gosar (AZ-09) joined Congressman Taylor as cosponsors of this legislation.

Under current law, the process to obtain a CDL requires only that the road skills test be administered in English, while the knowledge test can be conducted in any language. Unfortunately, states like California and Washington have used this authority to administer CDLs to individuals with no or little understanding of the English language, leading to drivers failing to understand road signs and taking innocent lives on American roads. By requiring the entire process of obtaining a CDL to be conducted in English, the Commercial Motor Vehicle English Proficiency Act would ensure that only those who can understand English enough to comprehend road signs can obtain CDL licensure.

“It’s a no-brainer – if you want to drive an 80,000-pound vehicle on American roads, you should be able to read the road signs,” said Congressman Taylor. “Ohio families should be able to get in their cars without fear of being in a tragic collision at the hands of a driver of a heavy vehicle who can’t understand critical warning signs. This bill will ensure safety for everyone and prevent any more innocent American lives from being lost.”

"Our bill ensures the CDL knowledge test is administered only in English, closing dangerous loopholes. When an individual operating a vehicle weighing up to 80,000 pounds cannot understand warnings like ‘Slow Down’ or ‘Accident Ahead,’ lives are put at risk. Improving road safety is a significant issue across Wyoming, where tragic accidents claim lives year after year. Our legislation is essential to protect the safety and security of every driver on our roads," said Representative Hageman.

"Commercial truck drivers play a critical role in our economy. With that comes the responsibility to understand both the signs of the road and the language of other drivers on the highway," said Representative Steube. "States like California have unleashed a nationwide public safety hazard with their lax English proficiency standards for individuals applying for a commercial motor vehicle license. My bill will protect our roadways by requiring all commercial motor vehicle applicants to demonstrate they are capable of safely operating these large vehicles and communicating in English with their fellow drivers.”

“Nobody cares about road safety more than professional truck drivers. That’s why OOIDA and truckers across America strongly support Representative Taylor’s CMV English Proficiency Act. It’s common sense that truck drivers should demonstrate they can read critical road signs before getting behind the wheel of an 80,000 lb. vehicle on public roadways. In addition to reading road signs, professional truckers routinely communicate with law enforcement and first responders in order to do their jobs safely and effectively. Representative Taylor’s legislation aligns with OOIDA’s long-standing advocacy for stronger driver training standards and we appreciate his leadership in making our roads safer for our members and the motoring public,” said Todd Spencer, President of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association.

“The Small Business in Transportation Coalition (SBTC) applauds the Hon. Dave Taylor for, once again, stepping up and introducing highway safety legislation. This important legislation will hold states accountable to test for English Proficiency during written Commercial Driver License (CDL) knowledge testing. Coupled with Congressman Taylor's H.R. 3608, Connor’s Law, these two bills fully address the SBTC's calls for both state ELP accountability and a return to strict enforcement of the English proficiency requirement on our nation's highways through out-of-service orders. We hope this common-sense highway safety legislation will receive bipartisan support in the interest of public safety to ‘Make the Roads Safe Again,’” said Executive Director Jim Lamb of the Small Business in Transportation Coalition. 

Specifically, the Commercial Motor Vehicle English Proficiency Act would:

• Codify English Language Proficiency into law as a requirement for individuals issued a commercial driver’s license, by requiring all individuals to read and understand traffic signs, communicate with officers and other officials, and provide and receive directions and feedback in English, and;
• Prohibits all CMV tests from being administered in languages other than English

The Commercial Motor Vehicle English Proficiency Act is supported by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) and Small Business in Transportation Coalition (SBTC).

The full bill text of the Commercial Motor Vehicle English Proficiency Act is available here.

The full bill text of the Senate version of the Senate companion, S. 2114, is available here.

Background:

In 2017, an 18-year-old named Connor Dzion was killed in an automobile accident in Northern Florida by a distracted truck driver who was found unable to speak English or read signs warning of upcoming traffic. Although English standards were initially included in the qualification process for commercial drivers, previous Democratic administrations removed violations of English Language Proficiency (ELP) from the out-of-service criteria. This action made CDL requirements more lax and increased the risk of accidents on the road, like the one that resulted in Connor’s death. Due to this, Congressional action is needed to restore proper CDL requirements and ensure safety on American roads.

Congressman Taylor introduced H.R. 3608, Connor’s Law, on May 29, 2025, to codify President Trump’s Executive Order requiring CDL drivers to maintain a basic proficiency in English in order to be licensed to drive on American roads. This bill would additionally revoke CDL licensure from any current license holders who fail to adhere to English language proficiency requirements.

The Commercial Motor Vehicle English Proficiency Act builds off Connor’s Law to not only require English proficiency for current CDL holders, but additionally throughout the entire process of obtaining a CDL to ensure future licensed CDL drivers can read and understand road signs. Driver and passenger safety is the highest priority when it comes to American roads, and this bill is a strong second step toward making our Nation’s roads safe for everyone.

The full bill text of Connor’s Law is available here.

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