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Senate panel rejects bill allowing officers to remove CDL holders from service over English proficiency
Summary
A proposal to let enforcement officers place commercial drivers out of service for insufficient English skills failed in the Tennessee Senate Transportation and Safety Committee after providers, state safety officials and multiple senators raised concerns about enforcement, international drivers and industry impacts.
The Tennessee Senate Transportation and Safety Committee voted 6-3 on Oct. 12, 2025, to defeat Senate Bill 492, a sponsor-led proposal that would have allowed an officer to issue an out-of-service order to a commercial driver if the officer determines the driver cannot read or speak English sufficiently to understand traffic signals, converse with the public and complete required records.
The bill’s sponsor, Senator Raum Bolling, told the committee the measure was intended to ensure that drivers of large commercial vehicles can “read and converse to the point of understanding the traffic signals and to be able to communicate with an officer should he be stopped.” He also noted the bill would not take effect…
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