New Mexico State Police Chief Troy Weisler defended his agency’s commercial driver’s license policies after federal officials criticized the state’s compliance with English language proficiency requirements for truck drivers.
The dispute centers on a July 3 traffic stop involving commercial truck driver Harjinder Singh, who was later involved in a fatal crash in Florida that killed three people. U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed New Mexico authorities during a press conference last week.
Weisler said federal officials have “mischaracterized” New Mexico’s CDL policy and compliance with federal English Language Proficiency testing requirements that took effect June 25.
“Contrary to statements made at the US Department of Transportation’s press conference by Secretary Duffy, we kept the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration field division in New Mexico informed of our progress,” Weisler said in a statement.
According to Weisler, when New Mexico sought clarification on the new federal guidelines, officials were told simply: “You know when somebody doesn’t speak English.” No standardized testing procedure was provided, he said.
New Mexico developed its own process after being told no additional guidance would be forthcoming, Weisler said. The state plans to begin enforcing ELP requirements Sept. 1.
Regarding Singh’s traffic stop, Weisler said no English assessment would have been conducted even if the requirements were in effect because federal guidelines only require testing when there are communication challenges.
“As the video of the traffic stop demonstrates, there were no communication issues between Mr. Singh and the officer,” Weisler said.
The police chief also noted that officers have no easy way to determine if a driver has been placed out of service for previous violations during roadside stops. Such information requires manually reviewing numerous documents across databases, which is “neither feasible nor realistic” during traffic stops, he said.
New Mexico State Police said they notified federal officials of their implementation progress on July 24 and Aug. 12, before becoming aware of the Florida crash.