President Trump signs executive order for truck drivers, Sikh advocacy group raises concern

New York/Washington: US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order mandating that truck drivers in America are proficient in English, a requirement that has raised concerns among Sikh advocacy groups who say it can have a “discriminatory impact" on truckers from the community and create unnecessary barriers to employment.

The Executive Order ‘Enforcing Commonsense Rules of the Road for America’s Truck Drivers’ says that America's truck drivers are essential to the strength of the country’s economy, its security and the livelihoods of the American people.

“Proficiency in English,” which Trump has designated as America’s official national language, "should be a non-negotiable safety requirement for professional drivers. They should be able to read and understand traffic signs, communicate with traffic safety, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station officers," the order issued Monday says.

"Drivers need to provide feedback to their employers and customers and receive related directions in English. This is common sense,” the order said.

The order noted that while federal law requires that, to operate a commercial vehicle, a driver must "read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals in the English language, to respond to official inquiries, and to make entries on reports and records”, this requirement has not been enforced in years, and America's roadways have become less safe.

"My administration will enforce the law to protect the safety of American truckers, drivers, passengers, and others, including by upholding the safety enforcement regulations that ensure that anyone behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle is properly qualified and proficient in our national language, English,” Trump said in the order.

Advocacy group Sikh Coalition said it is “deeply concerned” about Trump’s order that seeks to “ensure all commercial vehicle operators in the United States are proficient English speakers.” "We understand that, under this order, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy will be directed 'to rescind and replace guidance to strengthen inspection procedures for compliance with English proficiency requirements',” it said.

Sikh Coalition said the Executive Order raises significant concerns for the Sikh community, which has a substantial presence in the American trucking industry.

It cited estimates by The Economist, which had said in a report that approximately 150,000 Sikhs work in the trucking industry, 90 per cent of whom are drivers.

"Our community has played a vital role in meeting the high demand for drivers and alleviating the stress of driver shortages on American consumers and the economy; more than 30,000 Sikh drivers joined the industry between 2016 and 2018, contributing significantly to this critical sector prior to supply chain problems in 2020. Sikhs help drive—quite literally—the American economy,” the Sikh Coalition said.

The group said it is still working with partners to better understand the “legal implications and implementation process” of the order.

"However, we are concerned that it could have a discriminatory impact on Sikh truck drivers and create unnecessary barriers to employment for qualified individuals,” it said.

The executive order added that it is the policy of the Trump Administration to "support America's truckers and safeguard our roadways by enforcing the commonsense English-language requirement for commercial motor vehicle drivers and removing needless regulatory burdens that undermine the working conditions of America's truck drivers.  This order will help ensure a safe, secure, and efficient motor carrier industry."

It said that within 60 days of the date of this order, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy shall identify and begin carrying out additional administrative, regulatory, or enforcement actions to improve the working conditions of America's truck drivers.

Duffy announced that the agency is taking steps to rescind the “dangerous Obama-era policy” that dismissed English language proficiency (ELP) requirements for commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers.

“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,” Duffy said. “This Department will always put America’s truck drivers first.” The Department of Transportation said that Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations provide that a driver unable to sufficiently read or speak English or understand highway traffic signs and signals is not qualified to operate a commercial motor vehicle.

However, in 2016, the Obama administration directed inspectors not to place CMV drivers out of service for violations of the ELP requirements. The failure to adequately enforce driver qualification standards poses serious safety concerns and increases the likelihood of a crash.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has documented cases where drivers’ inability to read our signs and speak our language may have contributed to a series of fatal accidents, it said.