Requiring truck drivers to speak and read English isn’t new, but the penalty for not meeting the proficiency standard is becoming more severe.

Lately, a growing number of local Indian community members—particularly Punjabis—have taken up trucking as their profession. More than 25 individuals, including the former priest of the local Sikh Gurdwara, now work as truck drivers. For many, trucking has offered economic opportunity and a path to independence in a new country.

“The long hours, cross-country driving, frequent weather delays, and being away from family definitely take a toll on one’s health,” said Mike Kailey, the first member of the community to start trucking business in Las Vegas. Kailey adds. “It’s a lonely road, and not everyone is prepared for that.”

As the trucking industry continues to grow, so does the presence of Punjabi and other Indian drivers across the United States and Canada.

Truck drivers who practice the Sikh religion already face discrimination in hiring and at loading docks, according to Mannirmal Kaur, federal policy manager for Sikh Coalition, an advocacy group. Now they are worried about inspectors making subjective, non-standardized determinations about which of them are proficient in English, she said.

“A truck driver who does speak English sufficiently to comply with federal standards but maybe they speak with an accent, or maybe they use a different vocabulary that the inspector isn’t used to hearing: Is that person then going to be subject to an English language violation?” Kaur asked. “And under the new policy, are they then going to be designated out-of-service, which could result in unemployment?”

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