Texas is helping the Trump administration keep non-English speakers from driving commercial vehicles with new standards, the state announced Monday.
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) will give commercial driver license (CDL) knowledge tests only in English while banning interpreters, effective immediately, the agency said in a statement. The new policy aligns with that of President Donald Trump’s Department of Transportation (DOT) to “ensure that all newly licensed commercial drivers have the communication skills necessary to operate these vehicles safely on Texas roads,” according to the statement.
NEW: DPS has made changes to the state’s commercial driver license (CDL) testing process. Effective today, all Texas CDL knowledge exams will be administered in English only.
This change aligns Texas’ testing procedures with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s… pic.twitter.com/1u7717FKRY
— Texas DPS (@TxDPS) June 1, 2026
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced in May 2025 that he was bringing back the federal government’s English language proficiency requirements for CDLs, reversing an Obama-era policy.
Texas’ new knowledge tests add to its existing rules that already require an English-only hands-on CDL test, the DPS said. Additionally, “DPS personnel on Texas roads, along with other certified commercial vehicle inspectors, will continue to conduct English language proficiency evaluations during routine traffic stops and at weigh stations,” the agency said.
“These evaluations are a critical measure to ensure drivers possess the necessary communication skills for on-road safety and compliance with federal regulations, and any commercial vehicle driver who does not meet the proficiency standard will be placed out of service,” the DPS said.
Deadly truck crashes linked to migrant CDL drivers over the past year have heightened concerns about the danger that lax restrictions can cause for American roads. Texas, America’s second biggest state by population, had nearly 724,000 active CDL drivers as of April, The Texas Tribune reported.
“All these actions, and others like them, are part of the department’s continued efforts to make roads safer across the state and nation,” the Texas DPS said.
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