Alabama Legislators Pass English Only Law For Truck Drivers
By Rick McCann
Blue RAM Media
March 7, 2026
MONTGOMERY, Ala. Another bill, giving law enforcement additional avenues to keep dangerous people off the street has passed as Alabama shows that it’s tough on crime.
At least three other law enforcement related bills have also passed in recent months.
SB242 passed the Alabama Legislative process on Friday, March 6th, 2026, and was sent to Governor Kay Ivey to sign.
The bill, sponsored by State Sen. Lance Bell (R-Pell City) and carried in the House by State Rep. Steve Clouse (R-Ozark) requires that commercial drivers demonstrate English proficiency and carry valid entry documents.
SB242 in many ways is similar to an existing federal requirement for English proficiency among commercial drivers and changes the law into a state statue, creating new criminal penalties for violations. Under the bill, a driver who fails an English proficiency standard and receives a traffic citation faces a $1,000 fine for the operator and $2,000 for the carrier, with fines doubling on subsequent violations.
Presenting a fraudulent foreign commercial driver license or operating without required federal entry documents are both Class D felonies, with fines applicable to both drivers and carriers.
Bell pointed to a May accident in Thomasville, where a driver on a work visa who only spoke Russian struck several cars stopped at a red light, killing two people, as evidence of the need for state-level enforcement tools.
Mark Colson, President and CEO of the Alabama Trucking Association, praised the bill’s passage.
The bill would take effect October 1, 2026, if signed.
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