Help please. fmcsa 391.11(b)(2)

You can have a CDL without speaking english. Many states will do the test in other languages.Intrastate laws vary. If he drives interstate then he has to comply with the fed regs. If he can't communicate in english(written and spoken) then he's not qualified.

 

The real problem is that there's NO standard test, it is up to each individual officer.

 

If I recall correctly, FL was a state that allowed cdl in spanish and other languages. Do some research on it and see what DOT said about it.

 

When I was at a scale in Canada I saw a CVSA poster on the wall that stated drivers in the U.S. do NOT have to speak and understand English if they can communicate with drivers using sign language .
I don't know how they are supposed to understand and obey road signs but this came about after MI started turning the turban wearing Canadians around at the border .
A similar stand is taken dealing with Mexicans . From page 12 of this pdf .http://www.cvsa.org/programs/documents/archive/albuquerque_2005_exec_minutes.pdf

 

It's not a matter of racism, this country is the biggest melting pot of races going. My great grandparents who immigrated to and help "build" this country knew that in doing so, they would have to communicate in English to effectively function and do business in this country.

They didn't have multilingual GPS's and phone prompts to cater to their language.

Props to your driver coming over and looking for a better life. The problem you run into on this board, is that a lot of us know that the immigrants who do so, will happily work for wages that drive the prevailing wage in the industry down.

Racist? No. Prejudiced? Probably.

Ditto. I suppose next we'll be requiring our DOT and law enforcement people to learn 5 different languages so they can conduct a inspection or simple traffic stop.

Mr. Yoysa, please put qualified drivers on the road, per this country's requirements. That's all you need to do to fix it.

 

Yousa you represent the growing number of people in this country who stands for 'lax' adherence to the law, your so called 'compassion' for your partner who all of the sudden is hit with a big dose of reality since he got caught by a dot officer for not speaking English. This individual is/has engaged in the transport of inter/intrastate commerce, and with that comes an enormous responsibility to Communicate OUR language in a proficient manner. From shipper to final destination and everything in between requires an 'elementary' understanding of English. I am sick and tired of the ethnocentric behavior of those (Spanish in particular) who refuse, are unwilling to learn basic English ! I will not press one for English. Additionally, I'm tired of US citizen being castigated for upholding our law and then being called racist. Fact of the matter this country has open it's doors for anyone, PROVIDED, you simply follow our laws and learn English. Millions did it in the last century, many became bi-lingual in their native language and in English and they did just fine.

I have no mercy on your driver, he sounds like the average arrogant illegal who smirks at you on the street and could care less about our laws except now, when the s#it hits the fan and he is out of service. I'd like to know who he works for maybe you could share that information with us

 

Best fix is to learn English.

If the state you live in does not require it, then stay in state.

No quick fix here, just got to play by the rules.

 

The best fix now is now is too step back, draw a deep breath as leason learn'ed, then go the libary or bookstore, they have computer kiosk, and with the aid of libarian you can study and learn to read english, i dont care who you are, if we go over there, we have too do the same thing, so for now , just learn english, then truck regulations and get all learned before driving again, placing out service has many differnt meanings, on the back of the paper will tell if you can drive or not, most out service , wont let you out till you fix the problem, mine was a pair of eyeglasses i just broke them on the dock about hour earler, the frames were broke in two , no broken glass, but he placed me out service till i got a pair and wouldn't let move the truck , till i had a pair, times were hard and i could only get one pair from the state, so back too the truck , got duct tape out and retwisted en bend back too sorta normal, threw them on , walk back in , yup looks good handed the paper back too him and let me go , i know i should done that at dock, but i was kinda hurry type thing too get too next load, after i got out of the scale , i threw them back on the dash,, i chalked up as lesson learned, now i carry two pairs all the time

 

It's as simple as this and race does not play into it. If I stop a driver and he needs an interpreter to answer my questions or to understand what is asked of him/her for the inspection, he is unqualified. If he can not understand what I am asking for and speaks nothing I can understand, he is out of service. This is nothing new. This has been on the books for years. Think about this. I'm crawling the truck doing a level 1. the driver is asked to step on the brake so I can measure them. He starts it up and moves, runs over me before I can get from between the axles. Some trucks you have to crawl in between the drives to get a measurement when you don't have a pit. You think that is something I want to deal with. How bout him trying to read an variable message sign on the highway warning a road closure due to an accident or any other emergency. Non English speaking driver barrells into a road closure. You going to tell the rescue workers, road worker's family you are sorry but he's trying to learn the language and live the All American dream? How about you have your partner learn the language like my ancestor's did. Rosetta Stone works wonders. Do you think if I went to the former Soviet Union, they would be lax on their rules to accomadate me? Try again. The rules and regulations are there for a reason. Not a suggestion that you should speak English, that you will. If he can't McDonald's and millions or other occupations can hire him. When he can speak, and read the English language sufficiently to read and understand road signs and to comminucate with enforcement personnel he can drive again. Get caught violating the Out of Service order and he will lose his CDL for 1 year for a first offense, 383.51. Get caught twice, it's even uglier. I get driver's quite often. It's amazing you place them out of service and write them a citation, it amazes me how fast they learned the English language. Almost immediately. The side of the road is no where for charades and games, some non English speaking driver's think if they stay mum I will go away. Wrong answer. The rules are there for a reason, so have your partner learn the language before he drives. The carrier will be open to severe fines if they allow an out of service driver to drive before qualified. The driver will also be in line to receive harsh punishment as well.

 

Diesel Bear>Great response!

What would be a "minimum standard" that you would accept? If a driver can give you what you want (logs, permits etc) is that adequate? Do you ask him what a road sign represents to check their english abilities? I understand the ability to work with you during a vehicle inspection.