A bill pre-filed for the Alabama Legislature’s 2026 session would require the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to conduct driver’s license exams only in English.
“All of our road signs are in English, people need to be able to read and understand English in order to drive,” bill sponsor Rep. Phillip Pettus, R-Killen, told Alabama Daily News.
The legislation would apply to both standard Class D licenses required to operate private passenger vehicles and commercial driver’s licenses or CDLs.
Pettus told Alabama Daily News he filed the bill in response to recent high-profile semi-truck wrecks in other states and the drivers’ immigration status.
“That’s what brought my attention to it,” Pettus said. “The federal government says they have to be able to understand English, so they ought to be able to read in English.”
According to ALEA, the Class D license knowledge exam can be provided in 11 foreign languages. But all applicants must be able to communicate with examiners in English, and the road skills portion of the exam must be completed in English.
The CDL exams are currently only conducted in English.
Pettus shared a draft of the bill with ADN.
“All written, oral, vision, and driving portions of the examination administered for purposes of obtaining or renewing a driver license must be in the English language only,” it says. “An applicant may not use a translation dictionary, an electronic device, or an interpreter to assist with the administration of the examination.”
Pettus is a retired state Trooper who previously managed driver’s license offices in the state’s northwest region.
In 2011, the Alabama Supreme Court rejected a challenge to multiple language options for the Class D exam.
A lawsuit filed against Gov. Bob Riley in 2008 claimed that the use of multiple languages violates the state constitution and the exam should be given in English only, The Associated Press reported at the time. The plaintiffs lost in Montgomery County Circuit Court and appealed to the Supreme Court. The high court affirmed the decision 5-0.
Pettus’ bill comes as state and federal officials crack down on non-English speaking immigrant drivers in the trucking industry.
Earlier this year, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy ordered English language proficiency requirements for drivers. More recently, the administration announced it would revoke the certification of thousands of truck driving schools if they don’t update their compliance with training requirements.
The Alabama Trucking Association earlier this month said it supports a plan developed by the Trucking Association Executive Council that focuses on seven “vulnerabilities” in the trucking industry. Those include closing loopholes in commercial driver licensing, overhauling the trucking safety data system and increasing oversight of visa processes for cross-border drivers.
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala. has sponsored legislation to require CDL testing to be conducted only in English.
“We need to ensure that those applying for CDLs are properly trained and can speak and read English before allowing them to drive on our roads,” he said earlier this month.
The legislative session starts Jan. 13.