The tragic death 2017 of the 18-year-old Connor Dzion in North Florida shows us the catastrophic consequences of weak enforcement of commonsense road safety measures. Connor was killed by a derived truck driver who could not read English and ignored critical warning signals when he turned off the highway. This was a tragedy to prevent, not a simple mistake.
American life should not be considered as additional damage to failed social justice initiatives or the desires of Shifty truck companies that try to undermine the wages of domestic truck drivers. The congress must act decisively.
That is why Rep. Dave Taylor, R-Ohio, and I introduced the Law of Connor to codify the long-term, commons of English language skills (ELP) for drivers of commercial motor vehicles. This account would ensure that CDL holders who cannot read or speak English are made out of use.
A driver without papers, who failed his English assessment, was involved in a crash in which three people died when he wanted to perform an illegal U-turn last month in the middle of a busy highway with several lanes in Florida. (St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office)
These are not new expectations or requirements. In fact, existing federal regulations have long been determined CDL drivers Must “read the English language enough to talk to the general public, to understand traffic signs and signals in the English language, to respond to official questions and to set submissions about reports and data.”
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In 2016, however, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), in the direction of the Obama government, however, English violations of the outdoor service criteria arose quietly, which effectively settles enforcement of that commonsense rule.
After I had heard early in my term of office as Congressman of Wyoming, I started calling for a return to enforcement. On 10 April 2025 I sent a letter to the American Minister of Transport Sean Duffy who identified and noted this issue that “with the number of accidents with CMVs in the elevator, it is crucial that we take steps to reveal and re -evaluate this kind of hidden policy.”
True to their promise of responsiveness and accountability, Secretary Duffy immediately repeated that this administration would re -enforce the ELP requirements. Under President Donald Trump, the FMCSA subsequently issued new guidelines to inspectors to assess the English language skills of a director during inspections along the road, including drivers interviews and assessments of drawing recognition.
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The driver interview requires that the inspector first initiate the inspection in English, and if the director does not understand the basic instructions, a verbal interview will be performed to evaluate his ability to convert and respond to official questions. The business vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) also recovered ELP-Mislukings as violations outside of service.
With regard to the enforcement of the state, remains uneven and insecure. That is why Connor’s law matters. It confirms this standard in the law, so that the national and federal authorities need clarity and authority to keep our roads safe.
On August 21, 2025, State Secretary Marco Rubio announced an immediate break about all issues of employees-visa for commercial truck drivers, stating concern about public safety and the threat to American resources of existence. This limitation was accepted after the horrible crash in Florida, where a driver without papers who did not fail his English assessment was involved in a crash in which three people were killed when he wanted to perform an illegal U-turn in the middle of a busy highway with multiple lines. This is another tragedy that should never have happened.
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Here in Wyoming we have experience from first-hand with the tragic consequences of allowing ELP-deficient drivers on our highways, a fact that was brought home just last week. On December 21, 2022, Tyeler Harris’s life was demolished and Tiffany Gruetzmacher was seriously injured when Saviol Saint Jean rode through an accident location and crashed, drove over 45 to 60 mph. Saint Jean was not skilled in English, even though he had received a CDL.
Although some non-English-language drivers can understand standard way marks, such as a stopboard, they cannot understand a variable message signs (VMs) that occur on our highways. In Wyoming, VMs are used in the entire state, especially over the full piece I-80 (which sees more than 12,000 vehicles per day)-to warn drivers of changing weather conditions, dangerous dangers and road closures.
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If commercial drivers cannot read English, they will completely miss critical VMS instructions, which endangers safety and increases the chance of catastrophic responses to changing road conditions.
Every American deserves to be trust that when they share the roads with 18-wheelers that the person behind the wheel can read a plate, understand the instructions, respond to emergency situations and follow the rules. By adopting the Law of Connor, we will improve safety on our highways and ensure that Connor did not die in vain.
Click here to Van Rep. Harriet Hageman
