Sean Duffy brags about 26,000 trucks taken out of service because drivers ‘don’t speak English’

WASHINGTON, DC: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Thursday, August 13, said that the Department of Transportation has taken 26,000 trucks out of service because their drivers did not meet English-language requirements. 

Duffy made the remarks during an appearance on Fox News’ 'The Ingraham Angle', where he defended the administration’s efforts to obtain state records on commercial drivers. His comments came as Democratic-led states filed lawsuits challenging federal demands connected to transportation funding and immigration enforcement.

Sean Duffy cites safety concerns behind truck enforcement

Duffy said the department’s enforcement efforts are focused on determining whether commercial drivers are qualified to operate large trucks on US roads. “Not only do they not speak English, many of them went to a sham driving school, so many of them aren't qualified,” Duffy said. “They don't have the skills and the knowledge to operate an 80,000 lb big rig on American roads.”

He said the DOT has sought motor vehicle records from states dating back to the 1980s to review commercial driver licensing. Duffy also said the department has removed 30,000 drivers from the roads over licenses he described as illegally issued.

“We've taken 26,000 vehicles out of service because the drivers don't speak English,” Duffy said. “We've taken 30,000 drivers off the roads because their licenses were illegally issued.”

Duffy said the department has also partnered with Immigration and Customs Enforcement on enforcement operations across multiple states. He argued that states challenging the administration’s requests were preventing federal officials from reviewing records needed to identify drivers who may not meet federal requirements.

“As you mentioned, 22 states, liberal states, have sued me to make sure I can't get that information because they know that we're gonna take illegals off American roads,” Duffy said. “And so what's happening here is you have these liberal states actually siding with an illegal truck driver over the safety of an American citizen.”

States challenge federal transportation funding demands

Duffy’s remarks came as Democratic-led states pursued legal challenges against the Trump administration over conditions attached to federal transportation and other grant funding.

The states argue that the Transportation and Homeland Security departments are unlawfully requiring them to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement to receive billions of dollars in funding. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who is leading the litigation, called the administration’s approach a “blatantly illegal” threat.

“He's [President Donald Trump] treating these funds, which have nothing to do with immigration enforcement and everything to do with the safety of our communities, as a bargaining chip,” Bonta said.

One lawsuit challenges requirements imposed by the Department of Homeland Security that states support federal civil immigration enforcement or risk losing funding for emergency preparedness, disaster relief and cybersecurity.

A second case challenges a letter Duffy sent to states warning that transportation funding could be affected if they failed to cooperate with immigration enforcement efforts or maintain diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin defended the administration’s position, saying, “Radical sanctuary politicians need to put the safety of the American people first, not criminal illegal aliens.”