Trucker fined $500 for failing roadside English test

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tampa1 London, Ontario Canada
Sun Jul 20, 2008 11:43 AM CST : Trucker fined $500 for failing roadside English test
TUSCALOOSA, ALA.–Manuel Castillo drove through Alabama in a truck filled with onions and left with a $500 ticket for something he didn't think he was doing: speaking English poorly.

Castillo, who was stopped on his way back to California, said he knows federal law requires him to be able to converse in English with an officer but he thought his language skills were good enough to avoid a ticket.

Still, Castillo said he plans to pay the maximum fine of $500 rather than return to fight the ticket.

"It just doesn't seem fair to be ticketed if I wasn't doing anything dangerous on the road," he said.

An Alabama state trooper thought Castillo, 50, couldn't speak English well enough to drive an 18-wheeler when he was headed back to California from picking up onions in Glennville, Ga. A driver for 20 years, Castillo was stopped in west Alabama for a routine inspection.

Castillo, who says he speaks English at roughly a Grade 3 level, said he understood when the trooper asked him where he was heading and to see his commercial driver's licence and registration. He said he responded in English, though he speaks with an accent.

Castillo wasn't speeding, and the inspection and computer check turned up no offences, so he was surprised to get a ticket for being a "non-English-speaking driver."

Federal law requires that anyone with a commercial driver's licence speak English well enough to talk with police. Authorities last year issued 25,230 tickets nationwide for violations. Now the federal government is trying to tighten the English requirement, saying the change is needed for safety reasons.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has proposed rules requiring anyone applying for a commercial driver's licence to speak English during a road test or vehicle inspection.


What a joke! This is America?
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Indyfella indianapolis, Indiana USA
Sun Jul 20, 2008 11:44 AM CST : Trucker fined $500 for failing roadside English test
tampa1: TUSCALOOSA, ALA.–Manuel Castillo drove through Alabama in a truck filled with onions and left with a $500 ticket for something he didn't think he was doing: speaking English poorly.

Castillo, who was stopped on his way back to California, said he knows federal law requires him to be able to converse in English with an officer but he thought his language skills were good enough to avoid a ticket.

Still, Castillo said he plans to pay the maximum fine of $500 rather than return to fight the ticket.

"It just doesn't seem fair to be ticketed if I wasn't doing anything dangerous on the road," he said.

An Alabama state trooper thought Castillo, 50, couldn't speak English well enough to drive an 18-wheeler when he was headed back to California from picking up onions in Glennville, Ga. A driver for 20 years, Castillo was stopped in west Alabama for a routine inspection.

Castillo, who says he speaks English at roughly a Grade 3 level, said he understood when the trooper asked him where he was heading and to see his commercial driver's licence and registration. He said he responded in English, though he speaks with an accent.

Castillo wasn't speeding, and the inspection and computer check turned up no offences, so he was surprised to get a ticket for being a "non-English-speaking driver."

Federal law requires that anyone with a commercial driver's licence speak English well enough to talk with police. Authorities last year issued 25,230 tickets nationwide for violations. Now the federal government is trying to tighten the English requirement, saying the change is needed for safety reasons.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has proposed rules requiring anyone applying for a commercial driver's licence to speak English during a road test or vehicle inspection.What a joke! This is America?


Yup~ moping
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princess49503 grand rapids, Michigan USA
Sun Jul 20, 2008 11:57 AM CST : Trucker fined $500 for failing roadside English test
Thats funny....I have a friend who is a deisel mechanic at the Freightliner of Grand Rapids.

They get a lot of Bosnian and Russian truck drivers.

He says none of them know English so it's really difficult trying to understand what needs to be fixed.

He says the drivers end up pointing to the area of the truck and mimic the noises with their mouth.

rolling on the floor laughing
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gsdforlife barrie, Ontario Canada
Sun Jul 20, 2008 1:06 PM CST : Trucker fined $500 for failing roadside English test
simple case of RACISM!
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RillyNiceGuy Southeast, Arkansas USA
Sun Jul 20, 2008 1:13 PM CST : Trucker fined $500 for failing roadside English test
A friend of mine's brother got in more trouble than that years ago......he failed a urine test.rolling on the floor laughing rolling on the floor laughing rolling on the floor laughing

He only parked the semi in three different places at the same time......just off the roadside, in the ditch and the woods.
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Indyfella indianapolis, Indiana USA
Sun Jul 20, 2008 1:25 PM CST : Trucker fined $500 for failing roadside English test
gsdforlife: simple case of RACISM!



Maybe you can become the interpreter between illegals and cops? Just an ideadunno
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p_seg Central, Xlokk Malta
Sun Jul 20, 2008 1:42 PM CST : Trucker fined $500 for failing roadside English test
might be a new way to increase the state's coffers!! wink
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The_Kansan Claxton (Powell), Tennessee USA
Sun Jul 20, 2008 2:05 PM CST : Trucker fined $500 for failing roadside English test
gsdforlife: simple case of RACISM!


Bullcrap! There are regulations in the transportation industry and they're there for a reason. Everyone is given the same option regardless of race, color, creed or nationality: Be compliant or be cited.

Persons who operate a commercial motor vehicle is this country are expected to be fluent enough in our language to not only converse with an officer, but read road signs and follow directions. Anything less has the potential to be un-safe and racism doesn't have a damn thing to do with it!


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Tater springfield, Illinois USA
Sun Jul 20, 2008 2:07 PM CST : Trucker fined $500 for failing roadside English test
That is stupid and discrimiatory, he was a legal citizen and obviously knew enough english to get his drivers license, unless they allow him to take it in spainish which should not be allowed. then that cop is a piece of shit. But now that I'm thinking about it does anyone know if non english speaking people have to take the driving test in english beings that they will have to know how to read our english signs or are they allowed to take the test in other languages????? How stupid our laws are it wouldn't surprize me dunno any one know
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CjTenorSax Atwater, Ohio USA
Sun Jul 20, 2008 2:09 PM CST : Trucker fined $500 for failing roadside English test
p_seg: might be a new way to increase the state's coffers!!

Most likely. It reminds me of when my Mom died. I had to borrow a college roommate's car. When I got down "home" got pulled over. Sheriff asked me where I was from, where I was going, How long I planned to be in the county, when he found out I was a native he sent me on my way with an apology.

teddybear sad flower
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alex_192 sarasota USA
Mon Jul 21, 2008 8:26 AM CST : Trucker fined $500 for failing roadside English test
Indyfella: Maybe you can become the interpreter between illegals and cops? Just an idea


ilegals have no drivers CDL

it would be better you know the laws for issueing a CDL

on the other hand, it is hard to find a cop in maimi that is fluent in english

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HJFinAZ Sun CIty, Arizona USA
Mon Jul 21, 2008 9:51 AM CST : Trucker fined $500 for failing roadside English test
The FAA has had this regulation for pilots flying into this country for years. I was licensed in 1963 so I know it has been in existence since then. This is the U.S. and English is the language we speak.

Can I go to any other country and push 2 for "English"?? dunno
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soulmateTWS Happy in, Alabama USA
Mon Jul 21, 2008 10:11 AM CST : Trucker fined $500 for failing roadside English test
The_Kansan: Bullcrap! There are regulations in the transportation industry and they're there for a reason. Everyone is given the same option regardless of race, color, creed or nationality: Be compliant or be cited.

Persons who operate a commercial motor vehicle is this country are expected to be fluent enough in our language to not only converse with an officer, but read road signs and follow directions. Anything less has the potential to be un-safe and racism doesn't have a damn thing to do with it!



Exactly!!



thumbs up
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alex_192 sarasota USA
Mon Jul 21, 2008 10:14 AM CST : Trucker fined $500 for failing roadside English test
HJFinAZ: The FAA has had this regulation for pilots flying into this country for years. I was licensed in 1963 so I know it has been in existence since then. This is the U.S. and English is the language we speak.

Can I go to any other country and push 2 for "English"??


no, most of the times when you are in another country (non english speaking country) you learn the language or you point to whatever you want to eat

but this is the only country i have seen, that when you aplly for the citicenship, and you have to take an exam to show you are frluent in english, you need an INTERPRETER because the inmigration oficial that deals with your case DOES NOT SPEAK ENGLISH

when those that are to engorce the laws would be able to know and folow the laws, then you will not have to press 2 for english

this country was not this way 20 years ago
what changed?

althought my engliss is not good enouight i expect cops in miami to speak english at least at the same level i speak instead ot THEM start speaking me in SPANISH (that i am not fluent either)
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alex_192 sarasota USA
Mon Jul 21, 2008 10:18 AM CST : Trucker fined $500 for failing roadside English test
The_Kansan: Bullcrap! There are regulations in the transportation industry and they're there for a reason. Everyone is given the same option regardless of race, color, creed or nationality: Be compliant or be cited.

Persons who operate a commercial motor vehicle is this country are expected to be fluent enough in our language to not only converse with an officer, but read road signs and follow directions. Anything less has the potential to be un-safe and racism doesn't have a damn thing to do with it!


the road signs are universal

no need to read englsih for that

on the other side

truck drivers from OTHER countries with a VALID COMMERCIAL DRIVER LICENCE issued by other countries that are crossing the sates have no requirement to know english and cannot be finned for not knowing english

the worldwide agreement on signs do not say anything about reading english, or having the signs to be writen in any linguage
they are simbols signs
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somechick Cincinnati Ohio, Ohio USA
Mon Jul 21, 2008 10:24 AM CST : Trucker fined $500 for failing roadside English test


The first I ever heard of that law was about five years ago.
A guy driving a 12 foot high tractor-trailer tried to go under a 10 foot high
bridge in Yonkers, NY.

He got written up for all of the V&T laws he violated, as well as for not
being able to speak English.

It came out later that he can speak English very well, but he was pulling
the old "I no speaka the English" routine to try and get away without too
many tickets. That kinda backfired on him.



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slim1977 my heart will always be in , Tennessee USA
Mon Jul 21, 2008 10:29 AM CST : Trucker fined $500 for failing roadside English test
I am quite sure you will get alot and different responses to this post, there are many truckdrivers on this site...... it is a serous problem in our business, people that cant explain themselfs, cant read english. I am by no means "racist" but FMCSA rules are rules, and there are some crazy ones, they all apply to me the same as them. must be fair across the board.
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Serenity1971 Serenity's Island, California USA
Mon Jul 21, 2008 11:31 AM CST : Trucker fined $500 for failing roadside English test
I am by no means racist, nor discriminatory, but there has to be some boundries drawn somewhere. Being a truck driver myself, I can't tell you how many docks I've pulled into and not one person speaks English. Last I checked English was supposed to be the dominant language of the US. It seems that in the last 20 - 25 years that this has gradually changed and not for the better. We now have politicians running for office saying that everyone should learn to speak Spanish. WTF!!!!!

I can't tell you how many times I've run into drivers out on the road that speak any other language but English. If you're going to live and work in this country then you should learn the English language. I know many that moved over here from foreign countries and learned how to speak English fluently, there's no reason why other people can't. From where I sit it seems to me that the people that don't learn are either too lazy or they think they're better than everyone else and feel they shouldn't have to. professor

Gee I wonder what would happen if people stopped enabling such things roll eyes

Funny they started doing the extensive background checks in order to hold a hazmat endorsement with our CDL, why can't they also enforce the English language with holding a CDL!?!

BTW Most DMV's have the CDL manuals in English and Spanish, so that it can be studied in either language. Whether the actual test can be taken in Spanish I'm not sure doh
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