New law expands enforcement of English language driver laws

CHEYENNE (WNE) — Command staff for the Wyoming Highway Patrol (WHP) was on hand Thursday afternoon for the signing of House Bill 32. 

The bill effectively gives authority for members of Wyoming law enforcement to enforce federal English Language Proficiency regulations.

Under the current regulations, any commercial driver who is found not to be proficient in English according to federal standards will be put out of service — meaning they will not be allowed to continue driving their commercial vehicle. Those regulations were originally only enforceable by members of the Wyoming Highway Patrol and its commercial carrier section.

Generally speaking, the purpose of the regulations is to ensure all commercial drivers can communicate with other drivers and read road signage and emergency communication billboards. 

With Gov. Mark Gordon’s signing into law, “any peace officer in Wyoming can now help ensure our roadways are safer,” a WHP news release said.

“This is what Wyoming Highway Patrol, and our commercial vehicle section and our inspectors do every day. This is something we already do,” Col. Timothy Cameron, WHP administrator, said at the signing. “But now what (the bill) does is it leverages all the law enforcement assets in the state to most importantly identify people that jeopardize public safety.”

This story was published on March 6, 2026.