Are Foreign Truckers Making the Roads Unsafe?

Earlier this year, President Trump signed an executive order emphasizing a renewed focus on roadway safety. An additional executive order was signed in March that designated English as the official language of the United States. These orders led to the creation of new guidelines to strengthen the enforcement of English language regulations for commercial truck drivers. Under the new guidelines, commercial motor vehicle operators who fail to comply with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) English-language proficiency requirements will then be placed out-of-service.

Anyone that wants to obtain a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) must have a “sufficient” understanding of English. This includes the abilities to converse with the general public, response to official inquiries, understand highway and traffic signs, and make entries on reports and records. There are certainly instances where a driver knows enough English to pass the CDL knowledge exam but in reality, they have minimal English proficiency.

Currently, slightly more than 18% of truckers on American roads are foreign-born, a number that has more than doubled between 2000 and 2021. These drivers fill labor shortages and heavily contribute their labor to long-haul and regional freight sectors, which often deal with recruitment difficulties and high turnover.

With such a large influx of immigrant drivers into the industry, there have been concerns that foreigners are jeopardizing highway safety. But is it immigrants as a whole or those that fail to meet English-language standards or do not properly obtain their CDLs that are causing problems?

Concerns About Foreign Drivers

In September, the Department of Transportation (DOT) held a press conference where they revealed a new Interim Final Rule in response to non-domiciled CDL issuance. DOT Secretary Sean Duffy announced this new rule following five fatal crashes in 2025 that involved non-domiciled CDL holders. The FMCSA found that at least two of those drivers were improperly issued their CDLs and the others held CDLs that complied with previous regulations but would not be eligible under the revised regulations.

Duffy stated that open border policies have led to exploitation of the U.S. truck licensing system. Furthermore, the FMCSA audit he cites found a pattern of states illegally issuing licenses to foreign drivers and that the current regulations can fail even if properly followed. The audit states they found a large number of non-domiciled CDLs issued to drivers who were ineligible or whose licenses were still valid after visas had expired. FMCSA declared that 25% of non-domiciled CDLs were improperly issued in California alone.

Although strict CDL regulations are important to keep American roadways safe, ensuring professional drivers are qualified to operate heavy trucks, are foreign-born drivers as a whole posing a larger danger?

For the first half of 2025, through July 25, 1,600 fatal crashes were reported, which was a continuation of a decrease in commercial motor vehicle (CMV) fatalities since 2022. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) had preliminary estimates for this period that amounted to 17,140 lives lost in CMV crashes, which was an 8.2% decline from the 18,680 fatalities during that time frame in 2024. This decline occurred despite vehicle miles traveled increasing by 12.1 billion miles. Based on the NHTSA data, the trucking industry’s safety record has improved positively.

Additionally, the five fatal crashes mentioned by Duffy are the only crashes involving non-domiciled CDL holders that FMCSA have identified during the first half of 2025. Of the 1,600 total fatal crashes in the beginning of the year, these five wrecks represent only 0.31% of those fatal accidents. With foreign-born truckers making up nearly 19% of truck drivers, their accident rates would be significantly higher if they were inherently dangerous.

There have been instances where a foreign-born driver has caused a fatal crash but did not hold a valid CDL at the time of the accident. One example comes from Indiana in October where a foreign driver that was illegally residing in the U.S. caused an accident on U.S. Highway 20 in Portage. He swerved to avoid a van, veered into oncoming traffic, struck a Subaru, then jackknifed and slid into the van. Police later discovered that the driver did not possess a CDL and was instead using a family member’s suspended CDL.

This instance shows that it was not necessarily his nationality but his lack of CDL that resulted in this wreck. In fact, 22.5% of fatal large truck crashes in 2021 were caused by a driver that had no CDL, and 1.6% possessed a CDL that was expired, suspended, cancelled, or disqualified. Moreover, 72.7% of crashes involved a driver that did have a valid CDL. According to this data, licensing status appears to be more relevant to crash risk than nationality.

English Proficiency and Safety

When operating a heavy truck in the United States, it is important for drivers to be proficient in the English language. Many aspects of the job are conducted in English, including the CDL knowledge exam, signage and maps along routes, pre-trip inspections, paperwork related to loads and delivery, and general instructions. Having an insufficient grasp of English can lead to avoidable mistakes.

FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety and Accountability (CSA) rules monitor the behavior of trucking companies. A company’s score can be raised during roadside inspections if a driver has endangered themselves or others through dangerous behavior or negligence. If a driver cannot read or speak English sufficiently, they are in violation of one of these safety standards. Between 2021-2025, there were 2,575 violations where a driver was unable “to understand highway traffic signs and signals in the English language”. Of the total CSA violations found during roadside inspections, these made up 0.05% of them.

The ability to read road signage and understand verbal and written instructions is vital to the safety of truck drivers and everyone they share the roads with.

One set of data mined by Overdrive parent company Fusable found that motor carriers with the previously mentioned CSA violation have been involved in DOT-recordable wrecks at nearly double the national average rate. The tightening of English language regulations may improve safety overall, but there is still a lack of comprehensive and rigorous analysis in the industry that backs up this claim and establishes a correlation between crash rates and English proficiency. And not every foreign-born driver lacks sufficient understanding of the English language.

David W. Craig, Nationally Recognized Truck Accident Attorney and Board-Certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy with American Bar Association accreditation, has sued multiple truck drivers who could not speak or understand English. Usually, those drivers have to be deposed using interpreters. David said, “I have seen the harm that can be caused by a trucker who can’t read or speak English. Likewise, I have seen the dangers caused first-hand by foreign drivers who have not been properly trained.”

Ultimately, there needs to be more research done regarding the correlation between English proficiency and crash rates. Foreign-born drivers as a collective are not statistically more dangerous than those born in the U.S., but a lack of sufficient knowledge of the English language does create safety risks. Regardless, we should all agree that even one wreck resulting in a death or catastrophic injuries is one too many—therefore, the prohibition should be enforced.

Injured After a Truck Wreck? Craig, Kelley & Faultless Can Help

Attorneys at Craig, Kelley & Faultless are prepared and have the experience to help victims and their loved ones involved in commercial vehicle wrecks through every aspect of their case. Both attorneys David W. Craig and Scott A. Faultless are board-certified in truck accident law by the NBTA, accredited by the American Bar Association. The firm also has a rapid response team that works with investigators, reconstructionists and mechanics who immediately collect evidence as soon as the firm is hired. Additionally, two of the firm’s litigation paralegals are board-certified in truck accident law by the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys. As David has said, “We don’t just handle truck accident cases. We specialize in these cases.”

Their team-centered approach puts client needs at the forefront, and several attorneys will work on your case to achieve the best possible outcome.

Reach out for a free case consultation today at (888) 253-5198 or online.

David W. Craig is board-certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, accredited by the American Bar Association in Truck Accident Law. He sits on the Board of Regents of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (which requires the board certification in truck accident law). He is the managing partner and one of the founding partners of Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC. He is recognized as a Top 10 Trucking Trial Lawyer and Top 100 Trial Lawyer in Indiana by the National Trial Lawyers, as well as a Top 50 Indiana lawyer by Super Lawyers. David is the author of Semitruck Wreck, A Guide for Victims and Their Families and It’s Never Been Easier to Hire the Wrong Attorney, both written to help people navigate what comes next after a tragic wreck. He also hosts the podcast After the Crash, where you can gain valuable information about the dangers involving semis and large trucks that do not follow safety protocol regarding speed, weather conditions, maintenance upkeep, etc.