US bans 7,000 truckers over English tests, 150,000 Indians on alert

The US Department of Transportation has launched a nationwide campaign to enforce English proficiency among truckers through real-time roadside tests, leaving many Indian-origin drivers vulnerable

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that 7,248 drivers were placed “out of service” as of October 2025 for failing to meet the Trump administration’s English language proficiency standards.

 

In an X post, Duffy said, “The Trump administration requires commercial truck drivers to speak and understand English to operate a big rig, or they will be taken out of service. This is about Donald Trump and his administration making America’s roads SAFE again.”

 

The US Department of Transportation has launched a campaign to strictly check truck drivers’ English skills through real-time roadside tests. Since the drive began, the number of drivers suspended has sharply increased, rising from about 1,500 earlier this year to over 7,000 by October.

 

Why are Indian-origin truck drivers under scrutiny?

The move, which has reportedly affected a large number of Indian-origin drivers, comes amid growing scrutiny of non-native truck drivers in the US — particularly from India — following a series of fatal accidents.

 

In one recent case, an Indian national, Jashanpreet Singh (21), was arrested in Ontario, California, after his semi-truck crashed into an SUV, triggering a deadly chain-reaction accident. According to ABC7 Eyewitness News, the crash killed three people and injured four others. Police sources said Singh entered the US illegally in 2022 and had been living in Yuba City.

 

This incident came just two months after another Indian driver, Harjinder Singh, was charged with vehicular homicide in Florida for killing three people when his truck crashed into a minivan during an “illegal” U-turn. The Department of Homeland Security said Singh entered the US illegally from Mexico in 2018 and later obtained a commercial driver’s licence in California.

How many Indian truckers could be affected by the US rule?

Many Indians, particularly from Punjab and Haryana, work as truck drivers in the US. The new English enforcement policy has impacted a large number of them.

 

According to Moneycontrol, the North American Punjabi Truckers Association estimates that between 130,000 and 150,000 Indian-origin drivers are currently working across the country — many of whom have been hit by the new rule.

Could the crackdown worsen the US driver shortage?

Trucking companies in states such as Texas and California, where many Indian drivers are employed, have warned that the crackdown could worsen the ongoing shortage of commercial drivers in the US.