English Only CDL Testing
May 13, 2010 by Truckdrivernews · Leave a Comment
In the United States of America it is a federal mandate that CDL applicants must be able to read and speak English sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals in the English, to be able to respond to official inquiries, and to make entries on reports and records.
Then why must there be any discussion as to whether or not the CDL test should be in the English language only? While on the subject I think “oral request” for CDL test should not be allowed either. This has been something that has been discussed before and it seems to keep coming up in discussions. In my opinion, any driver’s license test within the United States should be in English only. Road signs, street names, names of cities, etc. are all in English.
Another requirement for a CDL applicant is a social security number, and to get a social security number you must be here legally. Meaning you were naturally born here in the US, or you have legal documents showing that you were granted the privilege of working here.
One of the requirements to be a US citizen is the ability to read, write and speak ordinary English unless they are physically unable to do so due to a disability such as being blind or deaf, or suffer from a developmental disability or mental impairment. And if you are disabled with a disability listed in the requirement, then you don’t qualify to get a CDL anyway.
OOIDA had a recent article showing nine states already limit licensing tests to English-only, and another seven states demand English-only testing for commercial drivers. Six states offer their tests in at-least 17 languages. California leads the nation with 32 language offerings. 17 and 32? For those of you keeping score, only one is needed.
I wonder how the Department of Transportation will handle that part if they allow the re-opening of the Mexican border? Being able to read, and understand English is a requirement here in the US for a CDL holder, and all the Mexican trucks and drivers are “supposed” to be compliant with US laws.
© 2010, Truckdrivernews. All rights reserved.
