DOT warns WA could lose millions over commercial driver English rules
Aug 26, 2025, 7:31 AM
A jockey truck driver passes stacks of empty containers at a port. (Photo: Sean Rayford, Getty Images)
(Photo: Sean Rayford, Getty Images)
The U.S. Department of Transportation is warning Washington and two other states they’ll lose federal funding unless they comply with English Language Proficiency rules for commercial drivers.
The move is part of a broader push to tighten commercial driver’s license oversight and improve road safety nationwide. Washington, California, and New Mexico have 30 days to act or risk losing millions from the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program.
“States don’t get to pick and choose which federal safety rules to follow,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in a prepared statement. “As we saw with the horrific Florida crash that killed three, when states fail to enforce the law, they put the driving public in danger. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are taking aggressive action to close these safety gaps, hold states accountable, and make sure every commercial driver on the road is qualified to operate a 40-ton vehicle.”
The incident Duffy was referring to was when an illegal immigrant killed three people in a car crash in Florida earlier this month after making an illegal U-turn. Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said issuing a commercial license to someone in the country illegally is “asinine.”
Nineteen states, including Washington, issue licenses regardless of immigration status.
An ensuing investigation by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration found significant failures by California, Washington, and New Mexico to properly place drivers out of service for ELP violations. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) found that Washington has been undermining federal safety standards, resulting in dangerous gaps in enforcement.
“Washington has adopted the ELP regulation but is failing to enforce it,” DOT stated. “From June 25, 2025 through August 21, 2025, of the more than 6,000 inspections resulting in at least one reported violation, only four inspections involved an ELP violation resulting in a driver being placed out of service.”
California Highway Patrol has since publicly stated it will not follow this federal regulation.
Contributing: KIRO Newsradio
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