Truck Driving Schools Raided by FBI
Two truck driving schools and a center that issues driver's licenses to tractor trailer drivers were raided by state and federal officials in February. According to those officials, they are investigating the truck driving schools and commercial driver's license center based on information received that truck drivers were issued commercial driver's licenses illegally without receiving the necessary training and education that would qualify the driver to safely drive a tractor trailer.
Drving a large truck, semi, 18 wheeler or tractor trailer, as they are often called, is much more involved than driving a regular car or truck. For that reason, before a person is allowed to drive a tractor trailer, he/she is required to obtain a special driver's license, called a commercial driver's license (CDL), and undergo the required training and education to learn how to safely drive a tractor trailer. Of course, obtaining a CDL is a minimum safety requirement and ideally, once the truck driver gets a job driving for a trucking company, he/she should get ongoing training and education to teach him/her about the many safety issues involved in drving a tractor trailer for a living.
If the information that prompted this investigation into the driving schools and licensing center is correct, what it means is that there are truck drivers on the roads who fraudulently obtained their commercial driver's licenses without first receiving the necessary training and education. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, large trucks make up 4% of all registered vehicles on the roads but are involved in 11% of all crashes resulting in a death. Clearly, this is a serious safety issue that, if true, will hopefully be corrected after a thorough investigation.
