A pause ordered by Sen. Rubio targets visa processing for foreign truck drivers, citing safety and economic harm to American truckers. About 18% of working U.S. truck drivers are immigrants, per NATSO citing government data. The pause could block new entrants and prevent renewals. An April executive order requires DOT to remove drivers unable to demonstrate English proficiency; that requirement existed but was not strictly enforced since 2016. The rules require drivers to speak and read English enough to converse, read signs, answer questions and write reports. A longstanding trucker shortage has contributed to inflation and was worsened by a freight recession and wage pressures. The duration of the pause is unclear; the federal fiscal year ends Sept. 30.
"The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers," Rubio said in a post on X. By the numbers: Foreign-born truckers are a huge part of the industry. Truckstop trade group NATSO, citing government data, said last year that some 18% of working drivers were immigrants. Rubio's order doesn't necessarily endanger their status immediately, but could prevent new drivers from coming in or existing drivers from renewing.
In April, President Trump signed an executive order requiring the Department of Transportation to ensure drivers who couldn't demonstrate proficiency in English were taken off the road. The English requirement was already a federal regulation, but hadn't been strictly enforced since 2016. Those rules generally require truck drivers to speak and read English well enough to have a conversation, read signs, answer questions and write reports.
The trucker shortage has, in past, been cited as a contributing factor to rising inflation, given the lack of enough drivers to move goods. As Axios Pro Deals' Colin Campbell notes, a years-long freight recession has been exacerbated by wage pressures as well. What to watch: It wasn't clear from Rubio's post how long the pause would last. The current fiscal year, to which visa caps are usually tied, ends Sept. 30.
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