I published a report on April 9, 2007, about a Florida truck driver, with years of citations, license suspensions, and warrants for unpaid tickets on his record, who allegedly caused a fatal collision while driving his big rig. The report is titled, Who is Responsible for the Nation’s Truck Drivers? In the Florida case, the driver was able to get a license in one state, even though his license had been suspended in another state, and even though he had citations on his driving record in the state that issued his current license. บริการจัดส่งสินค้า
It turns out in Part 2 of Who is Responsible for the Nation’s Truck Drivers?, that the driver of the tanker truck causing a crash that resulted in a huge section of the Bay Bridge to collapse, also has a lengthy criminal record, but somehow got through the system and got a valid driver’s license. He passed his FBI criminal history check and review from the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA), but they claim they are only looking for terrorists. According to a spokesperson for the TSA, they are not focused on the kind of background and criminal past that James Mosqueda, 51, had on his record. Industry experts question rules that allow someone with Mosqueda’s background, including a 1996 prison term for a heroin conviction, to operate a tanker truck full of more than 8,000 gallons of gasoline. Darryl Tolentino, director of Fleetwatch Systems, Inc. that does background checks for trucking companies, told FOX News that “He is unemployable because of (his) past record. That would be our recommendation right off the bat.”
My question remains: why is it so easy for truck driver’s to get licenses and driving jobs when they clearly have a criminal background that would cause most rational people great concern? Who runs the licensing agencies that issue these? How are employees trained to look at applications for commercial driver’s licenses? Why isn’t there a national database that includes commercial driving information from all states, so companies can make better hiring decisions? Joe come, from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Inspector General’s Office told Fox News that there is a general question of “how hard do you want to make it for people to get a commercial driver’s license or anything else that can affect public safety? Do we hold them to the same standard as airline pilots?”
Finally, I have an answer instead of questions. YES, MR. COME. WE SHOULD HOLD THEM TO THE SAME STANDARDS! The industry is concerned, however, that because of the federal government’s added security measures for truck drivers after 9/11, that by 2014, our country will see a shortage of around 100,000 truck drivers. According to the report by FOX News, the USDOT Inspector General’s Office found that between 1998 and 2003, drivers fraudulently obtained licenses with the help of commercial trucking companies in 23 states. I will say it again: I know some reputable, hard-working truck drivers who claim it is very hard to earn a decent living in this line of work. Somebody has to be accountable for allowing the incompetent driver’s to operate behind the wheel of a killer truck. One politician plans to meet with California’s Department of Motor Vehicles and the trucking industry representatives to strengthen requirements for driver’s. At the same time, could you please pass laws for stricter penalties against companies who help truckers fraudulently obtain licenses?