Some Texas truck drivers can stay on the road without knowing English, thanks to a state law that exempts drivers who only haul within Texas from federal English rules.

The details: Texas leads the nation by a large margin in the number of truckers put out-of-service for not meeting English proficiency requirements—almost 800 drivers in the last ten weeks.

• Illinois and California have far fewer, with less than 350 and 250 drivers sidelined for English issues.
• California officers are said to have been more lenient with violations, but Texas has an official carve-out.

Why it matters: Federal law requires drivers to understand road signs and talk to law enforcement when crossing state lines. But an old Texas law makes an exception for “intrastate” truckers who never leave the state, originally put in place to help the logging and rock-hauling industries fill short-haul jobs.

• This exemption was confirmed in a May 2025 internal email from the Texas Department of Public Safety, telling inspectors to enforce English requirements only on interstate routes.

Safety advocates and some in the trucking community say this loophole puts lives at risk, as drivers who can’t read signs could miss important warnings. “I’ve had wrecks that probably would not have occurred had the driver been English-proficient,” said trucking attorney Lin McCraw.

The Texas Trucking Association’s president, John Esparza, noted that any change to these exceptions is up to Texas lawmakers: “Any changes to intrastate laws are in the purview of Texas lawmakers and would require Texas laws to change.”

Federal regulators are now pushing states to step up enforcement or risk losing highway funds, reported WFAA.

Arkansas and Oklahoma have moved to require English skills for all truckers in their states, but Texas has not indicated if or when its law might change.