Arkansas Act Requiring English Proficient Drivers Goes to Governor

A measure requiring truck drivers to speak sufficient English is heading to the governor’s office after clearing the state legislature.

The act — H.B. 1745 — mandates that anyone operating a commercial motor vehicle is proficient enough in English to converse with the public, understand traffic signs, respond to official inquiries and fill out reports and records, according to the measure. Violators would be fined $500 for a first offense and $1,000 for subsequent offenses.

Arkansas’ House passed the bill April 9; it was approved by the Senate six days prior, records show. The state’s governor — Sarah Huckabee Sanders — has made no announcements on whether she will sign the measure into law.

The measure would also criminalize the use of a commercial vehicle without proper documentation. Drivers with a valid commercial license from another country that knowingly drive in the state without carrying either a work permit or a work visa could be charged with a Class D felony.

Similarly, the measure treats presenting a false foreign license or making a public record of that false license as a Class D misdemeanor.