Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has slammed former President Barack Obama for relaxing English proficiency requirements to obtain commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs).
Slap On The Wrist, Says Duffy
Sharing a video on the social media platform X on Saturday, Duffy said that the “leftists” had sacrificed English proficiency rules to obtain CDLs for “the sake of POLITICAL CORRECTNESS!” Duffy outlined that the Department of Transportation (DOT) would not let “unqualified foreign drivers” drive “80,000lb big rigs.”
The transport secretary also blamed Obama for lowering the penalty imposed for failing English Proficiency requirements to a “slap on the wrist.” Duffy then said that the DOT would take rigs “out of service” as they could pose a danger to the safety of other vehicles on the road if there were unqualified drivers operating them.
“We’ve had 49 states work with us, comply with our rules,” Duffy said. “There’s one state, California, who has refused,” Duffy shared. He then outlined that English proficiency was crucial to maintain safety on “American roadways.”
Duffy did acknowledge that drivers could also be foreign nationals who are residing in the U.S. legally, reiterating that foreign nationals must speak English to communicate with “law enforcement.”
What Is The CDL Row?
The issue began when an undocumented individual, Harjinder Singh, took an illegal U-turn on a Florida highway that resulted in three fatalities. Singh was reportedly issued his CDL in California.
Since then, Duffy has locked horns with California Governor Gavin Newsom, even threatening to withdraw multi-million-dollar worth of Federal funding to the state for flouting proficiency rules. Ultimately, California lost $40 million in Federal funding. Duffy further threatened to withdraw $160 million in funding from the state, drawing criticism from Newsom.
Duffy had also warned he would withdraw $30 million in Federal funding to the state of Minnesota, led by Governor Tim Walz, issuing a 30-day deadline for the state to rectify illegally issued CDLs.
Tesla’s Semi Trucks
Meanwhile, Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) delivered its first Semi truck to German logistics company DHL, which said that the fleet of Semi trucks can further expand in 2026. Semi has some amount of autonomous driving technology in the truck.
Tesla also secured a deal with Uber Technologies Inc.‘s (NYSE:UBER) Freight division, with Tesla’s Director of Semi Program, Dan Priestley, hailing the deal as a driver for EV adoption.
Check out more of Benzinga’s Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.
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