The Texas Department of Public Safety announced this month that the state’s Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) knowledge test will be administered only in English, following controversy over the exam being offered in Spanish.
The change aligns Texas testing procedures with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) English language proficiency requirements.
Individuals who hold a CDL are authorized to operate vehicles with a gross weight rating exceeding 26,000 pounds, a truck with double or triple trailers, tanker trucks, vehicles transporting hazardous materials, and large passenger vehicles such as school buses.
Previously, CDL knowledge tests were offered in both English and Spanish. The hands-on CDL skills test—which includes pre-trip inspections, basic control skills, and road tests—has always been conducted only in English.
Despite the English-only skills test, several high-profile crashes involving commercial drivers have raised questions about English proficiency standards and enforcement in the United States.
In 2019, a 28-vehicle pileup near Lakewood, Colorado, killed four people and injured several others. Authorities said truck driver Rogel Aguilera-Mederos was traveling as fast as 85 mph in a 45 mph zone for trucks. Video footage showed Aguilera-Mederos bypassing a runaway truck ramp before crashing into slowed traffic.
Another fatal crash occurred in 2025 on Cheat Lake Bridge in Monongalia County, West Virginia. Authorities said New York-based truck driver Sukhjinder Singh was driving recklessly during severe winter weather, when his tractor-trailer jackknifed and struck a passenger vehicle, killing 59-year-old Kevin Lataille. Investigators later determined Singh’s truck had collided with multiple other vehicles.
In December 2025, an illegal alien from China obtained a CDL and was involved in a chain-reaction crash in Tennessee that killed one person and injured two others. According to an investigation, Huang Yisong was distracted by a video on his phone. Authorities later said he failed an English proficiency test administered after the crash.
The FMCSA praised Texas’ new policy. In a statement to The Texan, an FMCSA spokesperson said, “The Texas Department of Public Safety is taking all the right steps to keep American roads safe. The broader impact of these changes is safer drivers and safer roads for everyone.”
“By tightening these standards, Texas is directly building on the powerful foundation of safety and enforcement that President Trump and Secretary Duffy have established nationwide,” the spokesperson said.
