Three states may lose funding due to requirements for commercial drivers

• California, Washington, and New Mexico may lose funding.
• Commercial driver fatalities are linked to fatal accidents.
• States have 30 days to comply with the new rules.

California, Washington, and New Mexico may lose millions of federal funding if they do not begin to comply with the requirement to know English for commercial drivers. This was reported by Transportation Secretary Shawn Daffin in a statement.

The investigation, initiated after a fatal accident in Florida, in which a commercial driver with foreign citizenship made an illegal U-turn, revealed serious deficiencies in compliance with the rules in three states. These rules were established under an executive order by President Donald Trump.

Commercial drivers must be disqualified if they cannot demonstrate knowledge of the English language. Daffin noted that the driver involved in the accident, which claimed the lives of three people, had not been able to obtain commercial driving rights due to his immigration status.

Research has shown that California conducted nearly 34,000 inspections, but only one of them resulted in a suspension of the driver's license due to a violation of language requirements. In Washington, more than 6,000 violations of rules without a permit were identified, but only four drivers were suspended due to language violations. In New Mexico, no drivers were suspended from the moment the new rules were introduced.

Daffin warned that states may lose funding from the safety program for commercial carriers, if they do not comply within 30 days. California could lose $33 million, Washington - $10.5 million, and New Mexico - $7 million.

Three people died when the commercial driver Hardjinder Singh made an illegal U-turn on the highway, according to police in Florida. He was arrested without the possibility of bail after being charged in three incidents of homicide with negligence and violations of immigration laws.

Singh, who, according to the Ministry of Internal Security information, was in the country illegally, had not been able to obtain driving rights in Washington and California. California is one of 19 states that issue licenses regardless of immigration status.

Tags: USA/Politics/Automotive