{"id":2211,"date":"2026-06-17T21:37:49","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T21:37:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2211"},"modified":"2026-06-17T21:37:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T21:37:49","slug":"watch-feds-move-to-close-commercial-drivers-license-loophole-after-deadly-virginia-bus-crash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2211","title":{"rendered":"WATCH: Feds move to close commercial driver\u2019s license loophole after deadly Virginia bus crash"},"content":{"rendered":"
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On May 29th, a tour bus plowed into stopped traffic on I-95 in Virginia at 2:30 in the morning. Five people died, among them an entire family traveling home to Massachusetts. The driver, a Chinese immigrant who officials said did not speak English, was charged with five counts of involuntary manslaughter.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more California comes under DOJ scrutiny for program boosting gay-owned contractors<\/a><\/p>\n

Investigators asked a simple question: how did this man get a license to drive a bus? The answer is more complicated than anybody expected. To learn how this happened, you have to understand something about how commercial driver\u2019s licenses are issued in the United States. And it starts with a process that most people don\u2019t know much about.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m Susan Ferrechio, and this is The Washington Times Q&A on the push to reform commercial driver\u2019s license testing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Why does the federal government treat CDL licenses differently?<\/em><\/p>\n

There are two parts to a commercial driver\u2019s license test. Why does the federal government treat them differently?<\/p>\n

Commercial driver\u2019s license testing starts with a written knowledge test, which in many states has long been offered in multiple languages other than English. Applicants must also pass a driving skills test. Unlike the written test, it must be taken in English with no help from an interpreter in all 50 states.<\/p>\n

The federal government has long allowed states to offer written tests in different languages. But the Transportation Department is now cracking down on this practice. It\u2019s pushing states to administer the written test, like the driving test, in English only.<\/p>\n

How long has the federal government known about this and what have they done?<\/em><\/p>\n

The inconsistency between the two tests is long standing. But the federal government is taking steps to force states to ensure that truck and bus drivers understand English, following a string of fatal accidents involving drivers who didn\u2019t understand English. Federal officials recently threatened to withhold $40 million from California until the state agreed to enforce English proficiency standards during roadside truck and bus traffic stops.<\/p>\n

Texas and Florida have changed the written test for a commercial driver\u2019s license to English only. But other states have been slow to adopt this change.<\/p>\n

Which states let you get a commercial driver\u2019s license without speaking English?<\/p>\n

There are nearly two dozen states that offer the written test in multiple languages. In New York, for example, you can take the test in English, Spanish, Chinese and Russian.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In California, the test is available in six languages, including Arabic and Punjabi. Massachusetts just recently expanded their commercial driver\u2019s license testing languages to Spanish and Portuguese. Colorado offers the tests in English and Spanish, while Washington state lets applicants take the test in Spanish, Russian, and Serbo-Croatian.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Virginia offers the tests in \u201cseveral languages\u201d according to the Division of Motor Vehicles website.<\/p>\n

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Who is actually responsible?<\/em><\/p>\n

The crash happened in Virginia. But the license was issued in New York. Who\u2019s actually responsible?<\/p>\n

Federal investigators earlier this month subpoenaed and obtained from New York State all records related to the commercial driver\u2019s license obtained in New York by Jing Sheng Dong, 48, who is charged with five counts of involuntary manslaughter in the Virginia crash.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is investigating the driver\u2019s training and licensing. An official told The Washington Times it will \u201chold any state training school or company accountable that put a dangerous driver behind the wheel.\u201d<\/p>\n

What happened and how might CDL licensing have contributed to the accident?<\/em><\/p>\n

Virginia State Police say Mr. Dong failed to slow for traffic ahead of a construction zone on I-95. It\u2019s not clear whether highway signs warned motorists in English of the impending gridlock. According to federal officials, Mr. Dong refused to take an English proficiency test after the crash, and according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the driver did not speak English.<\/p>\n

How will the federal government crack down on non-English speaking truck and bus drivers?<\/em><\/p>\n

The federal government is scrutinizing driving schools that help non-English speakers and other unqualified individuals obtain commercial driver\u2019s licenses.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It is also pressuring states to end all commercial driver\u2019s license testing in languages other than English.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In February, the Transportation Department issued a new rule preventing foreign drivers who have not been subject to consular and interagency screening from receiving a commercial driver\u2019s license. This closed a loophole that let some drivers with past traffic violations in foreign countries get trucking and bus licenses in the United States.<\/p>\n

House Republicans in March introduced legislation that would tighten the requirements for obtaining a commercial driver\u2019s license. So far, there\u2019s been no action on this bill.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Read more: Roadway disasters pile up as states buck Trump administration\u2019s call to end non-English CDL tests<\/p>\n

Read more Trump says Iran deal will stave off economic crisis, prevent nuclear program<\/a><\/p>\n

Read more from Susan Ferrechio<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How does a bus driver who doesn’t speak English get a commercial license in America? The answer, investigators say, is more complicated than anyone expected. Washington Times reporter Susan Ferrechio explains what went wrong and what’s being done to fix it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":862,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[232],"tags":[1491,1490,97,431,612],"class_list":["post-2211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-twt-video","tag-commercial-drivers-license","tag-jing-sheng-dong","tag-massachusetts","tag-new-york","tag-virginia"],"yoast_head":"\nWATCH: Feds move to close commercial driver\u2019s license loophole after deadly Virginia bus crash - Home Buyer Relocation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2211\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"WATCH: Feds move to close commercial driver\u2019s license loophole after deadly Virginia bus crash - Home Buyer Relocation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How does a bus driver who doesn't speak English get a commercial license in America? 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