The Trump administration has threatened $46 million in federal funding cuts for the trucking industry in states like California, New Mexico and Washington over alleged flouting of English language rules for commercial drivers, issuing a 30-day deadline.
Trump Admin Threatens Cuts To Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program
Under the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program, California received $30 million while Washington and New Mexico received $9.6 million and $6.7 million in 2023, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that the government is taking "aggressive action" to hold states flouting rules accountable and making sure that there are no unqualified drivers on the streets operating "40-ton vehicles," the report said.
"Since I took action to enforce language proficiency requirements for truckers, our state partners have put roughly 1,500 unqualified drivers out of service," Duffy then said in a post on X.
Duffy warned that the government will take additional measures to ensure compliance with the norms. Data about other states wasn't shared during the briefing, the report said.
Fatal Florida Crash, Self-Driving Trucks
The news comes after a fatal crash in Florida when a truck driven by an undocumented driver took an illegal U-turn that resulted in the deaths of three drivers, with Marco Rubio saying the government will block visas for foreign truck drivers.
The news could also point towards self-driving trucks as a possible solution for better safety. Recently, Uber Technologies Inc.'s (NYSE:UBER) Freight CEO, Lior Ron, left the company to join self-driving truck company Waabi.
Trump's Crackdown On Immigration, Tesla's Semi Trucks
The news also comes as the Trump administration has cracked down on immigration, after directing the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) to probe “anti-American” sentiments among immigrants.
Elsewhere, Elon Musk has said that Tesla Inc.'s (NASDAQ:TSLA) semi truck will hit volume production next year, in what could be another boost for the autonomous trucking industry in the U.S., as the company could equip the trucks with its FSD system.
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