Cross-Border Safety: Strengthening ELP Standards and CDL Integrity
- Cottingham & Butler
- 22 hours ago
- 1 min read
Our recent webinar, "Cross-Border Safety: Strengthening ELP Standards and CDL Integrity," brought together SMSC Senior Safety Consultant Kara Vines and Belinda Garcia, a retired training and development specialist with the Texas Highway Patrol, to address critical updates to English language proficiency (ELP) requirements for commercial drivers. Whether your fleet operates across state lines or manages drivers from foreign-based carriers, this session delivered practical guidance to strengthen hiring practices and maintain compliance with the new enforcement standards. Missed the live session? View the recording to access these essential insights.
Key Takeaways:
ELP is now an out-of-service violation — As of June 25, 2025, drivers who can't communicate sufficiently in English will be placed OOS during roadside inspections, with no translation apps or interpreters allowed during assessment.
Two-step roadside assessment process — Inspectors will evaluate drivers through verbal interaction and U.S. highway sign comprehension, with failed assessments resulting in immediate OOS placement regardless of where the driver is based.
Texas intrastate operations face unique risk — Texas has resisted enforcing the federal ELP rule for intrastate CDLs, creating compliance uncertainty for carriers operating within the state.
Enforcements apply to all drivers operating in the U.S., including foreign-based carriers.