Poor English could cost some drivers a $500 fine

According to DOT regulations, all drivers must be able to read and speak English well enough to read road signs, prepare reports, and communicate with law enforcement officers and the public.

The Department of Transportation has made requirements that all Commercial drivers operating within the U.S. must have the ability to speak and read English well enough to communicate with officials and the public alike. The requirements are in place to help ensure safety to the public and the driver. The ability of any driver to speak and read English is a very important issue. Without proper English proficiency commercial drivers wouldn't have full capabilities to read and understand the signage on the roads that may be of significant importance to their safety as well as others, not to mention their wallets. The restrictions of commercial trucks in cities can include height clearances, weight restrictions, and Hazardous Materials bans among a myriad of other restrictions that could land you a hefty fine if you are found in non compliance to any of these restrictions. One main concern has been that in the case of an accident the drivers that do not posses sufficient English skills wouldn't be able to communicate with police and emergency respondents well enough to describe what the contents of their load was in the event the documents or bill of lading were not accessible. This information would be of great importance if the load contained chemicals such as Phosphorous pentoxide which reacts violently with water. If this information isn't made clear or placarded properly there could be dire consequences to the respondents as well as the public. In light of this drivers that are found to lack sufficient English proficiency have been ticketed and fined $500. It is reported that there have been 25,230 of these tickets issued nation wide. "The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated last year that more than 17 percent of the nation’s 3.4 million truck drivers were Hispanic, as were more than 11 percent of its 578,000 bus drivers. It’s unknown how many speak both Spanish and English." link According to the OOIDA who keeps track of almost all things trucking related have stated that only seven states have English only testing requirements. These states include Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wyoming and Missouri. Some people think it would be for the best if all U.S. states had English only drivers license testing requirements for all types of licenses to ensure safer motoring in the U.S. But the issue has been opposed by minority groups claiming it discriminates against immigrants and minorities.