Hageman Wants To Ditch Policy That Keeps Non-English-Speaking Truckers On The Road

Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman sent a letter to the federal transportation department Thursday, urging the removal of a regulation that keeps non-English-speaking commercial truck drivers on the roads.

Hageman’s letter to U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy points to a Feb. 19 executive order by President Donald Trump, in which he asked all federal agencies to review their policies for misalignment with the administration’s priorities.

One of those priorities Trump announced 12 days later, when he issued an executive order declaring English as the United States’ official language.

Hageman’s letter challenges whether a June 15, 2016, memorandum by the then-Obama administration-run Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), requiring commercial truck inspectors not to pull non-English-speaking truckers from the roads falls within the new administration’s priorities.

She wrote to “urge” the DOT to consider whether that memorandum is now ripe to be rescinded, says the letter.

Longstanding FMCSA regulations “specifically required qualified drivers” of commercial vehicles to read and speak English well enough to talk with the general public, understand road signs and signals, respond to official inquiries and keep their own records logs, the letter adds.

Before the Obama-era memorandum, truck inspectors could put non-English speaking truckers out of service.

Not being able to do so is a “major safety issue for all drivers, which is precisely why these regulations were promulgated in the first place,” Hageman wrote, adding that the memorandum places “millions of American motorists in jeopardy.”

American large-truck fatalities have risen drastically since the memorandum’s implementation.

And Wyoming is no stranger to those. The Cowboy State had the most per capita — at 5.1 per 100,000 people — in 2022, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). That’s nearly three times the national average of 1.8 fatal truck crashes per 100,000 people.

Data from the National Safety Council shows fatal crashes involving large trucks rising consistently starting in 2016, from about 4,500 in the nation that year to 5,837 in 2022.

By contrast, those annual figures stayed below 4,000 from 2009 to 2014.

Where’d She Come From?

To Shannon Everett, co-founder of trucker advocacy group American Truckers United, Hageman’s letter came as a welcome surprise, he told Cowboy State Daily on Friday.

Everett’s group has been trying to incite awareness and action of this exact issue in state legislatures and the federal government for nearly a year.  

His group was not working with Hageman, but it sent its own letter to the DOT secretary independently of Hageman around the same time her letter surfaced, Everett said.

“It was just a coincidence,” he said. “We were working on that when she made that announcement. I was like, ‘Wow, this is great.’”

The group’s Thursday letter to Duffy raises alarms about the English proficiency issue.

It also warns of “unchecked issuance” of non-domicile commercial driver’s licenses to “unidentifiable individuals.”

It says the United States is too lenient with drivers bearing foreign CDLs, that some truckers misuse B1 visitor visas to displace U.S. workers, and urges lawmakers to “hold non-citizen drivers accountable for causing harm.”

The group formed after 64-year-old Colorado resident Scott Miller was hit and killed last June by a truck operator who’d already been deported to Mexico 16 times.

The driver, Ignacio Cruz-Mendoza, was convicted of a misdemeanor and sentenced to 364 days in jail. He was released from jail late last month and immediately detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“He will remain in ICE custody pending another removal,” announced ICE’s Denver removal team on X.com March 31.

No Word From Trump Yet

When Cowboy State Daily asked Trump’s White House press team in March whether the president is looking to rescind the 2016 memorandum, the team sent that inquiry to the DOT, which did not respond.

Though Trump hasn’t been outspoken on the memorandum, his top adviser Elon Musk responded Friday to Hageman’s letter on X.com with a comment comprised only of the “100” emoji, signifying strong agreement.

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, told Cowboy State Daily in March that truckers are important, and Wyoming knows that.

“However, it is also important that these drivers understand road signs and can communicate with the general public,” said Barrasso. “President Trump has declared English as our nation’s official language and it is necessary for anyone who wishes to succeed in America.”

Hageman indicated the same in a response to the outlet’s inquiries at that time, but she took on the memorandum more directly.

“Highway commercial truck inspectors need to be allowed to do their jobs and uphold commercial driving safety standards, particularly in a state like Wyoming where hazardous weather and unsafe roadways are a fact of life,” wrote Hageman.

The First We’ve Seen

Everett said Hageman is the first U.S. representative to urge the DOT to reconsider its English proficiency memorandum, as far as he knows.

Hageman’s spokesman did not weigh in on whether Hageman was the first, but he sent an additional comment from the representative in which she said she's been hearing from truck drivers and law enforcement officials about the dangers of non-English speaking drivers "on our highways." 

"We all know how dangerous our roads can be, and this is one obstacle we should not face when getting behind the wheel," said Hageman. "I'm hopefull that my letter will bring attention to tis matter and make our roads safer." 

Wyoming truckers have been outspoken about issues they’ve seen on the road due to non-English proficiency — and truckers who don’t know how to navigate wintry weather in the American West.

At Wyoming’s Evanston-based port of entry, it is “not uncommon” for Wyoming Highway Patrol inspectors to encounter truckers with non-domicile (non-citizen licensed) commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs), WHP Officer Arron Healy told Cowboy State Daily in February.

Encountering drivers who aren’t proficient in English tends to be a daily occurrence, he said. Between Oct. 1, 2023, and Sept. 30, 2024, WHP inspectors listed non-English proficiency violation in 410 inspections, Healy said in a follow-up email.

Wyoming doesn’t issue many non-domicile CDLs of its own, Wyoming Department of Transportation public affairs officer Doug McGee told Cowboy State Daily, also in February.

As of Feb. 21, there were 28,297 CDLs licensed through Wyoming, and only 57 of those were non-domicile, he said. To get a non-domicile CDL in Wyoming, the person has to prove he’s legally present in the United States. The test is given in English.

“Generally speaking, those do come from the farm and ranch sector,” McGee added.

Wyoming isn’t one of the 10 states American Truckers United has identified as “recklessly offering a large number of non-domicile CDLs,” said Everett. 

But its status as having the most fatal truck crashes nationwide per capita is concerning and a sign that other states, or Canada, are flooding it with drivers that can’t handle its terrain and conditions, he said.  

“It’s a lot more complicated, challenging (driving in Wyoming) — traversing mountains, tunnels, and the windy conditions you have,” said Everett. “I get intimidated driving through Wyoming.”

Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.