A Mexican trucking company is sponsoring English classes for its drivers in response to the new English language proficiency requirements. 

As of Wednesday, June 25th, the FMCSA has instructed all law enforcement and safety officers to conduct a driver interview and road sign recognition assessment during roadside or weigh station inspections in order to determine English language proficiency compliance. 

In response to this Executive Order, trucking companies like Fletes Sotelo in Juarez, Mexico have started sponsoring English classes for their drivers in hopes to bring them up to new US standards and avoid any resulting costs while they’re out on the road.

“What happens with a driver if his English is not satisfactory? He is taken out of service,” said Manuel Sotelo, president of the Juarez Transportation Association and owner of Fletes Sotelo. “The company has to send a driver that complies with the requisites to take over. There could be consequences for the driver and the company, and, above all, the merchandise is delivered late.”

“Most just cross into El Paso, but we don’t know if the same language requirement will apply here on the border. We want to think it will not. But just in case, we are giving our drivers English lessons,” Sotelo said to KGET 17.

“It’s incredible. They come knowing just the basics they learned at school, basic words like ‘door,’ ‘truck,’” said English instructor Ernesto Montes. “(But) they’re starting to learn how to communicate the parts of the truck, explain where they work, what they do.”

 “When you learn another language, your worth goes up. The more you know the more you get,” Morales continued. “You save your company money, and this is going to help in their work situations and in their everyday lives.”