‘English proficiency must for truckers’: US Prez signs order
Sikh advocacy groups say the order can have a “discriminatory impact” on truckers from the community and create unnecessary barriers to employment.
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 the requirement has not been enforced in years. “My administration will enforce the law to protect the safety of American truckers, drivers, passengers and others...,” Trump said in the order.
Advocacy group Sikh Coalition said the executive order raised 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 1,50,000 Sikhs work in the trucking industry and 90% of them 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. Sikhs help drive—quite literally—the American economy,” the Sikh Coalition said, adding that it could have a discriminatory impact on Sikh truck drivers and create unnecessary barriers to employment for qualified individuals.
Transportation secretary Sean Duffy said steps were being taken to rescind the “dangerous Obama-era policy” that dismissed English language proficiency (ELP) requirements for commercial motor vehicle drivers. In 2016, the Obama administration directed inspectors not to place CMV drivers out of service for violations of the ELP requirements.
