The trucking industry is suffering a serious driver shortage, and newly enforced English proficiency requirements aren’t likely to make it any better.
While driverless trucks have been in the news a lot lately, many are still in the testing phase, which means that addressing the trucker shortage should be a top priority. After all, estimates show that the US will be short 160,000 drivers by 2030.
However, a new executive order from President Trump could make the trucker shortage even worse by labeling those unable to pass English-proficiency evaluations as out-of-service.
New English-Proficiency Requirements Explained
In April, President Trump issued an executive order that would require truck drivers in the US to be able to speak and read English, citing the need for this kind of proficiency to keep roads safe.
More specifically, the executive order mandated that those unable to effectively pass these kinds of English-proficiency evaluation will be immediately designed as out-of-service, making them unable to drive.
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“President Trump believes that English is a non-negotiable safety requirement for professional drivers, as they should be able to read and understand traffic signs; communicate with traffic safety officers, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station personnel; and provide and receive feedback and directions in English.” – White House spokesperson
This week, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) voted to uphold the executive order, making the new rules effective as of June 25, 2025.
How Could This Impact the Trucker Shortage?
In addition to the overall shortage of 160,000 drivers by 2030, there are very few signs that things are going to get better, with average age of current truckers as high as 46 years old and the average age of new truckers at 35 years old.
Additionally, there are 110,000 truckers in the US over the age of 65 years old, and the average age of retirement is around 69 years old.
So, how are these new English-proficiency requirements going to impact the trucker shortage? As you might have guessed, it’s going to have a negative effect. Some estimates put the number of non-English-speaking truck drivers as high as 3 million, which would represent 10% of the truckers in the US.
How to Prepare Your Business for These New Requirements
If you own a trucking business and you’re worried about how these new requirements will impact your business, you’re not alone. Luckily, there are some ways that you can alleviate that stress, namely by utilizing tools to help teach your truck drivers how to speak English before the requirements hit.
“With the advent of AI tools, the cost for rolling out large-scale language training has decreased from a direct cost perspective for employers.” – Xiao Wang, CEO of Boundless to FreightWaves
Beyond that, there’s not much else you can do, as the administration has shown that it is serious about this kind of regulation, having made English the official language of the US earlier this year.
