On May 20, 2025, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) announced new guidelines whereby Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) drivers who fail to comply with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) longstanding English Language Proficiency (ELP) requirements will be placed out-of-service. The guidelines go into effect immediately.
This law applies to all Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Drivers operating in interstate commerce—including many contractors.
The new guidelines apply to the enforcement of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations (49 CFR) part 391 in conducting North American Standard (NAS) Driver and Vehicle Inspections who need to evaluate whether drivers can satisfy the English Language Proficiency (ELP) qualification requirements in 49 CFR § 391.11(b)(2).
For more information, check out the compliance alert below:
Image by Bogdan Krupin on Pexels.
