WASHINGTON The Federal Motor Carrier Administration is proposing to tighten its English-language requirement for drivers of commercial vehicles.

FMCSA rules require that anyone with a commercial drivers license be able to speak English well enough to talk with police. Authorities reportedly issued 25,230 tickets nationwide last year for violations of the rule.

Now, the FMCSA says it wants to tighten its English requirement, saying the change is needed to improve safety.

Most states let bus and truck drivers take at least part of their license tests in languages other than English.

The FMCSA wants to alter its rules to require anyone applying for a commercial drivers license to speak English during their road test and vehicle inspection, and eliminate the use of interpreters. Congressional approval of the change is not required.

Drivers could still take written tests in other languages in states where that is allowed, and they wouldn't have to be completely fluent during the road test, said an FMCSA official.

"Our requirement is that drivers understand English well enough to respond to a roadside officer and to be able to converse," said the official. Drivers need to be able to communicate with authorities about their loads and their vehicles, he added.

The rule change likely wont take effect until next year.

The FMCSA believes that limiting the road portion of the CDL test to English-only conversation would help eliminate drivers who don't speak English well enough to talk to an officer on the roadside. The agency sees no conflict in continuing to let applicants take the written test in languages other than English.

"The level of English proficiency we are looking for at the roadside is basic. The (written) CDL is a whole different level. Theres multiple choice, fairly in-depth questions that require more of an understanding of the English language," said the FMCSA official.

English-only testing for commercial licenses is limited to just seven states. Those are Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wyoming and Missouri, which recently adopted the rule. (See July 15 Bus & Motorcoach News.)