Feds crack down on truckers who can't speak english

Spytheweb · Jul 17, 2008

If you can't speak english, you shouldn't be driving at all, i say.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25716031/

Feds look to tighten English law for truckers
Rule change will hit nation's fast-growing Spanish-speaking population

updated 6:44 a.m. MT, Thurs., July. 17, 2008

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Manuel Castillo was driving a truck through Alabama
hauling onions and left with a $500 ticket for something he didn't think
he was doing: speaking English poorly.

Castillo, who was stopped on his way back to California, said he knows
federal law requires him to be able to converse in English with an
officer but he thought his language skills were good enough to avoid a
ticket.

Still, Castillo said he plans to pay the maximum fine of $500 rather than
return to Alabama to fight the ticket.

"It just doesn't seem fair to be ticketed if I wasn't doing anything
dangerous on the road," he said.

Federal law requires that anyone with a commercial drivers license speak
English well enough to talk with police. Authorities last year issued
25,230 tickets nationwide for violations. Now the federal government is
trying to tighten the English requirement, saying the change is needed
for safety reasons.

Most states let truckers and bus drivers take at least part of their
license tests in languages other than English. But the Federal Motor
Carrier Safety Administration has proposed rules requiring anyone
applying for a commercial drivers license to speak English during their
road test and vehicle inspection. The agency wants to change its rules to
eliminate the use of interpreters, and congressional approval isn't
required.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated last year that more than 17
percent of the nation's 3.4 million truck drivers were Hispanic, as were
more than 11 percent of its 578,000 bus drivers. It's unknown how many
speak both Spanish and English.

roadreeler57 · Jul 17, 2008

arty:

GreenDoberman · Jul 17, 2008

DarrylParsons · Jul 17, 2008

GD,

The article says well enough to talk to a police officer, not well enough to graduate high school.

:lolBIG:

roadreeler57 · Jul 17, 2008

Missouri law mandates English-only CDL tests, forbids ‘sanctuary’ cities
<SCRIPT></SCRIPT>Gov. Matt Blunt has signed a bill into law that calls for trucker-hopefuls in Missouri to prove they have a firm grasp of the English language to obtain a commercial driver’s license. It also outlaws “sanctuary” cities in the state.
Previously HB1549, the new law requires the written test to be offered only in English. Applicants’ ability to understand traffic signs and signals written in English also will be required. They will be prohibited from using interpreters while taking the test.
Supporters said they are concerned that people are allowed to drive trucks on Missouri roads without a command of the English language. They point out that federal regulations require applicants to be able to “read and speak the English language sufficiently” to get a CDL.
Opponents said there are no studies that suggest English proficiency makes better drivers. They also voiced concern that adopting the strict standards would push certain trucking companies to go “underground” to hire people to sit behind the wheel of trucks.
Advocates for the English standard said it’s a matter of safety.
Officials with the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association are encouraged by the rule change in Missouri and pursuit of changes in other states to make sure aspiring truckers can communicate in English.
Rick Craig, OOIDA’s director of regulatory affairs, said that making the English requirement standard for both portions of the test is vital and all states should be doing it.
“It’s the only way you’re really going to know for sure” that applicants can communicate in English, he said.
Another provision in the bill prohibits local governments from enacting policies that give sanctuary to illegal immigrants. State funding would be cut for localities that do not cooperate with federal officials trying to enforce immigration laws.
Advocates for the bill point out that law enforcement in some states make it a policy for their officers to not ask suspects about their immigration status. In fact, there are 60 so-called sanctuary cities throughout the nation that are recognized by rule or regulation, The Associated Press reported.
To view other legislative activities of interest for Missouri in 2008, click here.
– By Keith Goble, state legislative editor
keith_goble@landlinemag.com http://www.landlinemag.com/todays_news/Daily/2008/Jul08/071408/071608-03.htm