By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) – The U.S. Transportation Department said Friday that it would impose restrictions on Mexican train crews operating in the United States after inspections raised safety concerns about the English proficiency of some personnel.
The department’s Federal Railroad Administration issued letters Friday to Union Pacific and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited after inspectors discovered inbound crew members appeared to have had difficulty interpreting bulletins and communicating safety requirements in English with inspectors.
The department said Friday that crews from Mexico operating trains on behalf of the two railroads may not operate more than 10 miles into the U.S. from their point of entry, and uncertified crews must stop at the customs inspection point and interpreters must be certified under safety regulations.
The two railroads did not immediately comment.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said FRA was addressing concerns about cross-border train operators who lack basic English language proficiency. Duffy has previously taken steps to tighten rules requiring English proficiency by truck drivers and threatened to withhold funding from states for failing to comply with rules.
“Whether you’re operating an 80-ton big rig or a massive freight train, you need to be proficient in our national language – English. If you aren’t, you create an unacceptable safety risk,” Duffy said. “These commonsense steps will ensure every train crew operator can communicate with inspectors and understand basic operational bulletins.”
FRA told the railroads because “hazardous materials documents and emergency response information are required to be maintained in English the ability of the operating crew to understand these materials is critical” and warned incidents of crews operating in the U.S. without a sufficient understanding of the English language to perform their duties safely could result in the Trump Administration taking enforcement action.
The Teamsters union said USDOT “took decisive action to restrict cross-border railroad operations from Mexico” and praised the agency for protecting union railroad jobs and prioritizing rail safety on trains entering the United States.
(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; editing by Diane Craft)
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