The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has followed up on action by the Trump Administration to enforce English-language proficiency (ELP) requirements for truck drivers by pointing to two high-profile fatality crashes that officials say were caused by drivers who did not speak English.

On April 28, President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) to rescind a 2016 policy that loosened enforcement on long-standing federal regulations that require commercial vehicle operators to be able to speak, read, and understand English sufficiently to read road signs and communicate with law enforcement and other members of the public.

Following up on the ELP EO, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy issued a statement on behalf of USDOT that directly pointed to a pair of high-profile commercial vehicle crashes as examples of how lack of ELP can harm safety on American roadways.

“FMCSA has documented cases where drivers’ inability to read our signs and speak our language may have contributed to a series of fatal accidents. In 2019, a semi-truck driver traveling down a crowded highway at almost 100 mph blew past several signs that warned of steep grades and dangerous curves. The driver ultimately hit multiple vehicles in a fatal crash killing four and injuring others. In January this year, a fatal collision in West Virginia involved a driver fleeing another accident who required an interpreter for the post-crash investigation,” USDOT said.

USDOT References 2019 Deadly 28 Vehicle Pileup on I-70 In Colorado

The first crash mentioned by USDOT happened in slowed traffic on I-70 near Lakewood, Colorado, on April 25, 2019. Truck driver Rogel Aguilera-Mederos was hauling a load of lumber when he reportedly hit speeds of 85 m.p.h. in an area where trucks are limited to 45 m.p.h and lost control of his brakes before crashing into slowed traffic. The resulting pileup involved 24 passenger vehicles and four semi trucks. Video captured before the crash showed that Aguilera-Mederos bypassed a runaway ramp prior to slamming into slowed traffic, killing four and injuring several others.

Aguilera-Mederos was initially issued a 110 year sentence after he was convicted on 27 charges, including four counts of vehicular homicide, in October 2021. However, this sentence was reduced to just 10 years, in part due to public outcry and calls from celebrities like Kim Kardashian for leniency.

Cuban-born Aguilera-Mederos spoke to police using a translator, and a translator also assisted him during court appearances, KDVR reports.

USDOT Points To January 2025’s Deadly Crash On West Virginia Bridge

The second crash mentioned by USDOT appears to reference a fatal crash on Cheat Lake Bridge in Monongalia County, West Virginia, that occurred amid severe winter weather conditions on January 19, 2025.

According to the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), New York-based truck driver Sukhjinder Singh was driving at an unsafe speed when he jackknifed and struck a passenger vehicle driven by 59 year old Pennsylvania resident Kevin C. Lataille. The crash knocked the passenger vehicle into the lake below the bridge, and Lataille was considered a missing person for several days before his vehicle was pulled out of the lake with his body still inside on January 26.

Police also said that Singh’s tractor struck another vehicle prior to reaching the bridge and failed to stop.

Singh was arrested in March on a charge of negligent homicide.

“Based on the findings of the investigation, law enforcement has determined that Sukhjinder Singh was operating the suspect tractor in a reckless manner, striking multiple vehicles, including Lataille’s, and driving at unsafe speeds for the road conditions. Singh’s reckless driving directly caused the fatal crash that resulted in Kevin C. Lataille’s tragic death,” police said in a news release.

While MCSO mentioned that Singh used a translator to speak to police when he was interviewed on January 28, it isn’t immediately clear in this example how lack of ELP directly contributed to the crash.

“Federal law is clear, a driver who cannot sufficiently read or speak English—our national language—and understand road signs is unqualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle in America. This commonsense standard should have never been abandoned,” said Duffy. “This Department will always put America’s truck drivers first.”