California, Washington and New Mexico could lose millions of dollars of federal funding if they continue failing to enforce English language requirements for truckers, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Tuesday.
An investigation launched after a deadly Florida crash involving a foreign truck driver who made an illegal U-turn on Aug. 12 found what Duffy called significant failures in the way all three states are enforcing rules that took effect in June after one of President Donald Trump's executive orders. He said the department was also already reviewing how states were enforcing the rules before the crash.
Truckers are supposed to be disqualified if they can't demonstrate English proficiency and Duffy said the driver involved in the crash that killed three should not have ever been given a commercial driver's license because of his immigration status. But the crash has become increasingly political with the governors of California and Florida criticizing each other and Duffy highlighting the Trump administration's immigration concerns in interviews.
But Duffy said Tuesday that it is a safety issue — not a political one — because truckers need to understand road signs and be able to communicate with law enforcement about what they are hauling if they are pulled over or what happened if there is an accident.
“This is about keeping people safe on the road. Your families, your kids, your spouses, your loved ones, your friends. We all use the roadway, and we need to make sure that those who are driving big rigs — semis — can understand the road signs, that they’ve been well trained,” Duffy said.
Duffy says these states aren't enforcing the rules
The Transportation Department said California has conducted roughly 34,000 inspections that found at least one violation since the new language standards took effect requiring truck drivers be able to recognize and read road signs and communicate with authorities in English. But only one inspection involved an English language rules violation that resulted in a driver being taken out of service. And 23 drivers with violations in other states were allowed to continue driving after inspections in California.
He cited similar statistics for the other states with Washington finding more than 6,000 violations of safety rules during inspections, but only pulling four drivers out of service for English language violations. New Mexico has not placed any drivers out of service since the rules took effect.
Duffy said the states will lose money from the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program if they don't comply with the rules within 30 days. Duffy said California could lose $33 million, Washington could lose $10.5 million and New Mexico could lose $7 million.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom's press office said on the X platform that the Trump administration is just trying to deflect responsibility for the crash. The other two states did not immediately respond Tuesday.
“This is rich. The Trump Administration approved the federal work permit for the man who killed 3 people — and now they’re scrambling to shift blame after getting caught. Sean’s nonsense announcement is as big a joke as the Trump Administration itself,” Newsom's office said.
Florida crash killed three people
Three people were killed when truck driver Harjinder Singh made an illegal U-turn on a highway, according to Florida's Highway Patrol. He is being held without bond after being charged with three state counts of vehicular homicide and immigration violations.
A nearby minivan slammed into Singh’s trailer as he made the turn on a highway about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of West Palm Beach. Singh and his passenger were not injured.
Diamond R. Litty, the elected public defender in St. Lucie County, said her office was provisionally assigned to Singh’s case during his initial appearance Saturday morning. A review of his finances will determine whether Litty’s office remains on the case.
Litty said her office will focus on the criminal charges against Singh, who is presumed innocent, but they will also work with an immigration attorney to determine how Singh’s status affects the case. After more than three decades at her position, Litty said she can’t recall a case that garnered more attention than this one.
“Unfortunately, Mr. Singh has been caught in the crosshairs of politics,” Litty said.
But the head of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association trade group that represents small-business truck drivers praised Duffy's announcement.
“Basic English skills are critical for safely operating a commercial motor vehicle — reading road signs, following emergency instructions, and communicating with law enforcement are not optional. The fatal crash in Florida this month tragically illustrates what’s at stake,” the group's president, Todd Spencer, said.
Federal officials say truck driver was in U.S. illegally
The Department of Homeland Security has said Singh, a native of India, was in the country illegally. So Duffy said he should not have been granted a commercial driver's licenses by Washington and California. He said New Mexico should have pulled Singh off the road for not speaking English after he was pulled over in July because he later failed a test given by DOT investigators after the Florida crash.
California is one of 19 states, in addition to the District of Columbia, that issues licenses regardless of immigration status. Supporters say that lets people work, visit doctors and travel safely.
But in addition, Newsom’s press office has said Singh obtained a work permit during Trump's first term, which Homeland Security officials disputed. Newsom also said the permit was renewed in April and federal officials have not addressed that.
Florida authorities have said Singh entered the U.S. illegally from Mexico in 2018. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that Singh should have never received a commercial driver's license.
“You’re not allowed to issue a CDL to somebody who is not in this country legally. You’re not allowed to issue a CDL to somebody who is not capable of understanding traffic signs,” DeSantis said, calling the crash an “avoidable tragedy.”
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Associated Press writers David Fischer, Kate Payne, Morgan Lee and Eugene Johnson contributed to this report.
