Story perspectives

Five Killed in Crash, Duffy Demands English CDL Rule

5/30/2026

Summary

Story summary

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called crash “unacceptable” and blamed the driver’s lack of English.
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will give updates at a Saturday press conference.
Driver Jing S. Dong, a 48-year-old, held a New York CDL without speaking English.
Five people died—including a 13-year-old girl, a 7-year-old boy, and a couple with children—while 44 were injured.
Duffy said administration will review licensing records and adopt English-proficiency CDL rules.

History

Historical Context

The FMCSA, a branch of the Department of Transportation, is again considering English-language testing for commercial driver’s licenses. That proposal echoes President Bill Clinton’s Executive Order 13166, signed on August 11 2000, which mandated federal agencies to provide meaningful access to limited-English-proficiency persons. Secretary Sean Duffy’s call revives this language-access framework as the NTSB probes the recent Dong crash.

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Story summary

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called crash “unacceptable” and blamed the driver’s lack of English.
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will give updates at a Saturday press conference.
Driver Jing S. Dong, a 48-year-old, held a New York CDL without speaking English.
Five people died—including a 13-year-old girl, a 7-year-old boy, and a couple with children—while 44 were injured.
Duffy said administration will review licensing records and adopt English-proficiency CDL rules.

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