- Arkansas police gave the first recorded English proficiency test to a trucker.
- California-plated driver failed to read road signs and struggled with conversation.
- Federal law permits such tests to ensure safe, English-proficient truck driving.
Several months ago, the federal government in the U.S. strengthened regulations that require semi-truck drivers to be able to read and speak English. Since then, many states have followed the direction to begin testing drivers suspected of not conforming to that rule.
While there have been scattered reports of drivers being taken off the road after failing these tests, few have shown exactly how that unfolds in practice. Today, we get an officer’s viewpoint as a driver takes the test and fails.
Officer’s-Eye View
In what’s believed to be the first publicly recorded instance of an English proficiency test for a commercial driver, an Arkansas Highway Police officer recently pulled over a semi driver who struggled to identify basic road signs.
The video begins with the officer questioning why the driver had chosen to park in a particular spot, setting the tone for what would become a revealing encounter.
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The truck driver responds, “Yeah, I’m parked here three hours.” The officer asks again, only to get a puzzled look from the driver.
When the officer asks if there’s anyone else in the truck, the driver responds “Yeah, my company.” Later, the officer asks what company the driver works for, and they respond, “California.”
Notably, the truck itself appears to be leased to Edline Freight Inc., which is based in Rowland Heights, CA. According to the NHTSA, the company reports that 25 percent of its 28 drivers are currently out of service. The national average of drivers in that state is just 6.67 percent.
🚨Another California truck driver pulled over—this time in Arkansas—unable to speak basic English or read common traffic signs.
California’s treasonous Non-Domicile CDL standards are endangering motorists nationwide. How long before other states revoke all reciprocity for… pic.twitter.com/ISrbwNg3PU
— American Truckers 🚛🦅 (@atutruckers) October 28, 2025
Following their brief conversation (and after the officer allows the driver to put his pants back on) the two return to the patrol car to review a few standard road signs. Of the several discussed, the only one the driver manages to read and explain correctly is “No Parking.
There’s a touch of irony there, considering the interaction began over parking his truck where he allegedly wasn’t supposed to.
The officer later explains to one of his colleagues on the phone that the federal direction was to have a conversation and to review four road signs with anyone suspected of not speaking or reading English at a proficient level.
Identifying three of four signs would be enough to pass that part of the test. In this case, the driver failed both tests and as such was placed out of service.
Credit: American Truckers United
