DENVER — Colorado truckers are weighing in after President Donald Trump signed an executive order requiring all commercial truck drivers to be proficient in English.
The order, signed by Trump on Monday, says that in order to operate a commercial vehicle, a driver must “read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals in the English language, to respond to official inquiries, and to make entries on reports and records.”
Trump said that this requirement has not been enforced in years, making "America’s roadways less safe."
Truckers we talked to in Colorado are weighing in. Some don’t understand the need for this now because they’ve been driving for decades with few issues.
One driver, whose primary language is Spanish, said he's been in the industry for 42 years and is always safe on the roads.
“I think it’s humiliating against truck drivers," he said in Spanish, “Without us, you can’t do anything. Everything moves through trailers."
On the other hand, another trucker we spoke to said he believes it will increase safety.
"I think it's a good thing because that way everybody can read the signs," he said.
"We won't have half as many traffic accidents as we did, just like when that happened a few years back on Highway 70," the truck driver said.
The driver was referring to a 2019 Lakewood crash that occurred when a semi-truck’s brakes malfunctioned, causing it to crash into about a dozen other cars and three other semi-trailers, resulting in explosions that killed four people.
Crime
Prior violations for company I-70 crash driver works for
It was later determined the trucking company had 30 safety violations, including brake issues and drivers with a weak grasp of English.
The truck driver was convicted and sentenced to 110 years, which Governor Polis later reduced to 10 years after granting clemency.
Both truckers Denver7 interviewed preferred not to share their names or disclose the trucking companies they work for.
Alexandre Padilla, an economics professor at Metropolitan State University, said the order could impact an industry already facing shortages.
"There's a reason why there's an increasing number of foreign-born citizens that actually taking the job is because driving across the country in big trucks is a very difficult job," Padilla said. "These drivers all have commercial driver's licenses. Therefore, you have to assume that they know the traffic laws and they know the rules."
A spokesperson with the Colorado DMV sent Denver7 the following statement:
We are still reviewing the impacts of the Executive Order but remain concerned about potential disruptions to the supply chain due to driver shortages or increased costs associated with compliance, which will have economic implications for businesses and consumers in Colorado.
The Trump Administration said the order will go into effect 60 days from the day it was signed.
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