Connor’s Law Mandates English Proficiency for Truckers: Officers Can Immediately Pull Drivers Off the Road

Connor’s Law is short, but it packs a punch for anyone working in the commercial motor vehicle (CMV) industry—think truck drivers, bus drivers, and anyone else operating vehicles over a certain size. The bill’s main goal is simple: it adds a mandatory English language proficiency test to the requirements for operating a CMV. Specifically, drivers must now prove they can speak and read English well enough to handle four tasks: talking with the general public, understanding all English traffic signs and signals, correctly answering questions from officials, and accurately filling out required reports and records. This requirement is being written directly into federal code (Section 31308(1) of title 49, U.S. Code).

The Language Checkpoint

What makes this law significant is the enforcement mechanism. If an authorized officer decides a driver isn't meeting this minimum English standard—which is based on an existing regulatory definition (49 CFR 391.11(b)(2))—that officer must declare the driver “out of service.” Being declared out of service means the driver has to stop driving immediately and can’t resume until they meet the language requirement. This new rule doesn't replace any existing reasons for being pulled off the road; it just adds a new, mandatory one focused on communication skills.

Who Feels the Impact?

For drivers who are already fluent in English, this law is essentially a formality. But for the large number of current and prospective CMV drivers who are non-native English speakers, this is a significant, mandatory barrier. The trucking industry relies heavily on immigrant labor, and this provision could hit that workforce hard. Imagine a driver who has been safely delivering goods for years but now, during a routine traffic stop, an officer determines their English isn't “proficient” enough to chat “without trouble.” That driver is instantly out of a job, stuck wherever they are, until they can somehow prove proficiency.

The Safety vs. Subjectivity Trade-Off

The stated goal here is clearly safety. Better communication means fewer misunderstandings at weigh stations, during accident reporting, or when reading critical road signs. That’s a real benefit. However, the enforcement relies entirely on an officer’s on-the-spot judgment. The bill doesn't specify a standardized test or clear metric; it relies on the officer’s interpretation of whether the driver can communicate “without trouble.” This subjectivity is where the rubber meets the road—it could lead to inconsistent application and potentially disproportionately target drivers from immigrant communities. For small trucking companies, this also introduces a new layer of risk and uncertainty when hiring and managing their diverse workforce, potentially limiting the talent pool available to keep goods moving across the country.