Sikh Coalition to US Secretary Transportation, if Sikh drivers declared ‘out of service' for English language proficiency violation, they have path back to career once they improve English abilities
In its letter Sikh Coalition has desired to ensure that roadside inspectors do not profile Sikh and Punjabi drivers as 'looking' like they don't speak English;
When Sikh and Punjabi drivers are subjected to roadside interviews, Coalition want to ensure that the inspectors assessing their English language proficiency do so fairly and objectively;
And if Sikh and Punjabi drivers are declared 'out of service' for an English language proficiency violation, Coalition want to ensure that they have legal recourse to appeal the decision and/or a path back to their career once they improve their English abilities.
The executive order states that proficiency in English should be a non-negotiable safety requirement for professional drivers. They should be able to read and understand traffic signs, communicate with traffic safety, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station officers. Drivers need to provide feedback to their employers and customers and receive related directions in English.
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The order directs the department of transportation to issue new guidance to the federal motor carrier safety administration (FMCSA) outlining revised inspection procedures for ensuring compliance with the federal regulation requiring English language proficiency (ELP) among truck drivers.
Sikh Coalition, which was founded in the immediate aftermath of September 11, 2001, in response to a torrent of hate crimes, discrimination, profiling and bullying against Sikh community throughout the US.
'The Sikh Coalition is not opposed to common sense safety reforms—including the obvious fact that all truckers must have basic English language skills to drive safely in the United States. We are committed, however, to working to ensure that any new rules resulting from this order do not disproportionately or discriminatorily impact Sikh and Punjabi truckers', stated Sikh Coalition senior federal policy manager Mannirmal Kaur.
For further context, President Trump's executive order overrides guidance put in place back in 2016. This guidance limited the ability of roadside inspectors to conduct English language proficiency interviews. It also disallowed roadside inspectors from declaring individual drivers 'out of service' for not being able to speak English sufficiently.
The Department of Transportation is expected to roll out their new guidance by the end of June; we hope to engage them in a conversation about our concerns before then. In the meantime, we are working to update our trucker-specific 'Know Your Rights' resource to account for concerns related to this executive order and other policy changes, stated Coalition adding there are about 1.50 lakh Sikhs and Punjabis working in trucking industry, 90% of whom are drivers.
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