The Senate Transportation Committee on Tuesday approved legislation requiring that truck drivers demonstrate English proficiency to get their licenses.

Senate Bill 1295 would require that commercial driver’s license test examiners verify that applicants are proficient in English. Current law directs the Department of Transportation to offer the CDL test in Spanish or English.

The committee held a hearing on concerns about commercial truck safety and non-domiciled truck drivers in December. In February, a truck driver from Kyrgyzstan was unable to stop his truck when he encountered slowed traffic. The truck swerved into oncoming traffic and hit a van, killing four people. Officials with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the driver, Bekzhan Beishekeev, was issued his CDL by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation in July 2025.

In November, ICE detained Akhror Bozorov, an undocumented migrant from Uzbekistan, wanted in his country of origin for belonging to a terrorist organization. Federal officials said Bozorov had been issued a CDL by PennDOT in July of 2025, as well.

At the December hearing, truck industry officials said that the increased number of inadequately trained commercial truck drivers is a consequence of the upheaval seen in the trucking industry since the COVID-19 pandemic. As the pandemic hit, many longtime truckers retired while many new trucking companies were being launched to meet the demand from a spike in online shopping.

“The job market was flooded not only with new drivers, but also with new carriers, training providers and brokers — many of whom were chasing opportunity, not building long-term, compliant businesses. Most of these new entrants played by the rules. But as in any industry, some did not,” Rebecca Oyler, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association, said in hearing testimony.

The committee also approved Senate Bill 1296, which creates new penalties for commercial truck drivers who are proficient in English and trucking companies that hire them.

Truck drivers found to be non-proficient in English would face a $500 penalty for the first offense and $1,000 for every subsequent offense. Drivers found to be non-proficient in English would also lose their CDL. A driver who is non-proficient in English and causes a crash involving a serious bodily injury or death could be charged with a third-degree misdemeanor.

Companies found to have employed commercial truck drivers who are not proficient in English could be fined $3,000 for each offense.

SB 1295 and SB 1296 were both approved by the committee in a 10-4 vote. Sen. Nick Miller, D-Lehigh, joined all the Republicans on the committee in voting in favor of the bills.