To Mexican companies, the rule was never much of a problem, largely ignored by the American authorities, especially along a border where cultures had always mixed.
But to the Trump administration, it is a point of critical road safety that went too long unaddressed.
The issue? English.
President Trump has put immense pressure on Mexico not only through threats of tariffs and of military intervention, but also through the trucking industry, which keeps billions of dollars in business flowing between the United States and its biggest trading partner.
In April, not long after designating English as the official language of the United States, Mr. Trump restored a penalty — taking a driver off the road — for violating a longstanding U.S. law that requires commercial vehicle drivers to know the language well enough to read road signs and communicate with U.S. officials. The order set off a frantic rush in Mexico, where companies are trying to quickly teach drivers enough English to keep their businesses alive.
This year, according to Department of Transportation data, officials reported more than 5,000 violations by truckers from Mexico who didn’t speak sufficient English, versus roughly 240 in 2024.
“We have to study,” said one trucker, Luis Alberto Alvarado Machado, 36. “If we can’t drive, it all stops.” And if a driver is declared out of service beyond the commercial zones along the United States-Mexico border, they can no longer drive until they satisfy the mandate.
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The post Faced With Trump’s English Mandate, Mexico’s Truckers Report to Class appeared first on New York Times.
