Washington | The US will stop issuing worker visas for commercial truck drivers, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said.

Announcing the move on Thursday in a post on X, Rubio said the change was effective immediately.

“The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on US roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers,” Rubio posted.

The department did not immediately respond to a question about the number of foreign truck drivers working in the US.

The Trump administration in past months has taken steps to enforce the requirement that truckers speak and read English proficiently.

The Transportation Department said the aim is to improve road safety following incidents in which drivers' inability to read signs or speak English may have contributed to traffic deaths.