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Clarification of Trump's New Executive Order
What does this mean for medical examiners?
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On 4/28/25, President Donald Trump signed the executive order "Enforcing Commonsense Rules of The Road for America’s Truck Driver". This executive order is about “ensuring anyone behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle is properly qualified and proficient in English”.
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President Trump believes that professional drivers should be able to communicate with traffic safety officers, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station personnel; and provide and receive feedback and directions in English.
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That requirement already exists, but Trump said it
"has not been enforced in years".
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49 CFR 391.11(b)(2) reads “…a person is qualified to drive a motor vehicle if he/she
(2) Can 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;
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What does this mean for drivers and motor carriers?
It has always been the responsibility of the employer to ensure that their drivers meet the regulations set forth in 49 CFR 391.11. However, an Obama-era policy dismissed the English language proficiency requirements. With Trump’s new executive order, this old policy has been rescinded. Going forward, drivers violating English proficiency rules will be placed out-of-service.
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What does this mean for medical examiners?
Not much, as this is not the responsibility of the ME.
Page 99 of the 2024 FMCSA Medical Examiner Handbook states, “When determining a driver’s physical qualification, please note that English language proficiency (49 CFR part 391.11: General qualifications of drivers) is not factored into that determination.”
Page 102 of the 2024 FMCSA Medical Examiner Handbook states, “MEs are not required to certify the extent to which an individual understands English. However, MEs should only conduct examinations when they are confident that they can communicate with individuals to the level that allows for a thorough examination to be conducted. As the signature authority on the Medical Examiner’s Certificate, Form MCSA-5876, MEs can turn the individual away if the level of English is not proficient enough to conduct the examination. Therefore, if the certifying ME cannot obtain a complete medical history to appropriately proceed with conducting a physical qualification examination with or without an interpreter, the ME should not conduct the
examination.”
If this were not the case, MEs would not be able to perform DOT physicals on non-CDL individuals and those who simply need the exam because their employer requires it.
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