FILE PHOTO: A drone view shows semi-trucks in San Diego, California, U.S., July 15, 2025. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Transportation Department said Tuesday it will withhold federal funding from California, Washington State, and New Mexico unless they adopt English proficiency requirements for commercial truck drivers.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a series of steps to address concerns about foreign truck drivers who do not speak English, and last week Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States was immediately pausing the issuance of all worker visas for commercial truck drivers.

In April, Trump signed an executive order directing enforcement of a rule requiring commercial drivers in the U.S. to meet English proficiency standards.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the department could withhold about $50 million in federal funding if the states do not comply in 30 days and could take further action.

Washington State said its state patrol was currently reviewing the matter with its state transportation partners and will have a detailed response soon.

New Mexico's Transportation Department did not immediately respond.

A spokesperson for California Governor Gavin Newsom said the Trump Administration was "scrambling to shift blame" after it had approved the federal work permit for a driver who killed three people in a truck crash in Florida on Aug. 12.

Last week, Duffy said the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has launched an investigation into the crash, which involved an Indian national who did not speak English or have legal authorization to be in the United States, according to Florida and U.S. officials.

Duffy said the investigation found the three states were not enforcing the English proficiency rules.

Driver Harjinder Singh has been charged with three counts of vehicular homicide. Police said he attempted to make an illegal U-turn through an “Official Use Only” access point, blocking traffic and causing the fatal crash after a minivan struck his truck.

While the English-proficiency standard for truckers was already longstanding U.S. law, Trump's executive order in April reversed 2016 guidance that inspectors should not place commercial drivers out of service if their only violation was lack of English.

Duffy said failing to adequately enforce driver qualification standards poses serious safety concerns and increases the likelihood of crashes.

FMCSA said in 2023 that about 16% of U.S. truck drivers were born outside the United States.

American Trucking Associations CEO Chris Spear praised Duffy's announcement, saying "Every commercial driver operating in the United States must be able to read road signs, communicate with law enforcement, and understand safety instructions."

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Hugh Lawson and Michael Perry)