Trucker Driver Fined For Poor English

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) - Manuel Castillo was driving a truck
through west Alabama hauling onions and left with a $500 ticket for
something he didn't think he was doing: speaking English poorly.
Castillo was stopped on his way back to California and 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 Alabama to fight the ticket.
Federal law requires that anyone with a commercial drivers
license speak English well enough to talk with police. Authorities
last year issued more than 25,000 tickets nationwide for
violations.
Now the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has proposed
rules requiring anyone applying for a commercial drivers license to
speak English during their road test and vehicle inspection. The
rule change would likely take effect next year.
The issue of English-speaking drivers could become larger if the
Bush administration succeeds with efforts to make it easier for
trucks to enter the U.S. from Mexico. Trucks already are allowed to
enter border areas under a pilot program.