A curious story out of Memphis…
The FBI still isn’t saying why it raided the offices of two truck driving schools and a licensing office in the Memphis area on Monday.
Also involved in the raids headed by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force were the U.S. Department of Transportation inspector general; Secret Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement; U.S. marshals; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; and Tennessee Highway Patrol.
No arrests have been made.
But the Memphis ABC News affiliate reported that documents were seized and that the investigation centers on the illegal issuance of commercial driver’s licenses.
The two driving schools – one in Memphis, the other in Millington – are operated by Swift. A Swift official says he’s been told the company, which employs more than 20,000 drivers in more than 40 locations around the country, is not the focus of the investigation.
More here – “Sources say the feds are looking for information about truck drivers who illegally obtained their commercial drivers licenses.”
not sure why they would need to obtain an illegal license unless they wanted a different name on it.
Around here they give truck driver licenses not to mention class 5’s away in cherrios boxes.
A guy I worked with went to take the course so he could go on a combining run. He failed a written sign test, and the class 5 written test 3 times. not to mention redriving his road test in the seat of a bigrig finally getting it the 3rd time. SGI seems to take the same tact as grade school: it is unfair to deny people promotion or they might not feel good about themselves. Don’t believe me? drive around Saskatoon. Or better yet set up a lawn chair at an intersection.
Course maybe the are just trying to track illegal immigrants rather than cracking down on bad drivers.
“According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, large trucks make up just 4-percent of all registered vehicles in the U.S. Yet big rigs are involved in 11-percent of all fatal crashes.”
That’s just more misleading stats to push an agenda….
Someone wanna count the hours of each on the road? Somehow my grandma’s car that get’s 30 mins of driving time a week might not match up to the average truck on the road 60 hours a week.
Most cars do 20,000 km in a year. Most big trucks do that and more in a month. So a truck being on the road say 10-15 times as much as the average car is what somewhere around 30% of the total driving time of all vehicles? Suddenly 11% of the accidents isn’t so much.
Yeah, yeah yeah, barcs. I’ve been run off the road three times by so called “professional drivers”. Two never even bothered to stop. If the FBI wants to crack down on them so much the better. We had an outfit in Calgary where the instructor was giving students the answers to the Air Brake test. His lawyer argued that no one was harmed by it.
“Alberta’s standards for truckers came under the microscope in February, when a Calgary driving school was shut down amid allegations that it was selling Class 1 licences, which allowed unqualified drivers to get behind the wheel of semis.”
“The British Columbia government re-tested more than 100 drivers who had gone through the Delta Driving School in Calgary, and all failed.”
Read the entire article.http://www.dcnonl.com/article/20050421800
what about
Volvo drivers
minivan soccermoms
potheads
alcoholics
leadfoots
yada
As a professional driver, let me add my two cents worth.
1. Logging trucks….damn, they are nasty.
2. Newly arrived immigrants….they should have to take a summer and a WINTER driving test.
3. And my favorite…..moronic, middle aged white women with dogs on their laps……..GEEZ!
Actually, all NEW drivers should take a summer and a winter driver’s test!!!!!
does the same licence allow you to drive an 18 wheeler carrying diapers and a truck carrying gasoline to refill gas stations?
Likely looking for names false or otherwise.
I am sure all the Buford T’s and Bobby Ray’s are at the top of the interest list for the FBI.
It’s like riding a camel. You never forget how. Big truck. Big boom.
After 9/11, a Driver’s License testing employee was found with her body on fire, inside a car that then went off the road and crashed. She had been selling fake Tennessee driver’s licenses to terrorists and ended up murdered when the investigation started.
Interesting how they go apeshit over some “illegal truking licences, when they are passing laws for “must-issue” driver’s ;icences to illegal aliens.
This is the post 9/11 martialism we can expect from now on…any insignificant incident elicits a massive display of force and authority…this is just big brother waving his fists under the people’s nose “to send the right message”….and the message is that we are no longer a protected citizenry but a martialed citizenry with 2 dozen armed agencies acting like an occupying force….as little as 50 years ago residents would not stand for this type of police authoritarianism…but today the sheep chew cud and watch the republic dissolve one excessive police raid at a time.
I call BS on the whole phony stage show and blame the people for letting their civil servants get so far out of control.
Wearing a uniform in the new corporate martial law enforcement system does not necessarily denote the “good guys” these days.
One doesn’t need much imagination to visualize one of the big rigs loaded to the gills with explosives detonating in the middle of Wall street sometime in the future.
But if that happened it wouldn’t really matter if the driver had a valid commercial licence or no licence at all so I guess my point is moot.
Today’s trucker bears no resemblance to that of 30 years ago. Today’s trucker is taking uppers and downers, carries two and in some cases three log books, transports illegal drugs and are basically the worst drivers on the road. Accidents involving big rigs is at an all-time high and will probably get worse. What this country needs is more rail traffic and fewer big rigs.
A man was feeling suicidal, so he called the emergency help center. The call was answered by a man in Pakistan. When the caller said that he was feeling suicidal the guy at the help center got excited and asked “Can you drive a Truck?”
Oh, lets’ not get carried away. I’ve seen a few big rigs doing things that were inappropriate, but it’s nothing compared to the comuters between here and Saskatoon. And as most of you know, I’ve spend a lot of time on interstates from coast to coast.
And Barcs is correct – those stats are garbage. Anyone whose ever driven from Chicago to New York will recognize that 4% is closer to 40%, (if not higher at certain times of the day).
The number of trucks that I see each day on the 401 traveling between Toronto and points west is astounding. The highway from Mississauga to Kitchener should have been widened years ago; the economical effect of trucks being stuck in traffic must be equally astounding.
I’ll take the word of my son-in-law who is a RCMP working on the highway out of Moose Jaw. He has seen pretty much everything having to do with truckers. It isn’t pretty.
Another issue related to big rigs is the significant number of them out there that are in serious disrepair and a real danger to other motorists. Traffic enforcement cannot even begin to do an adequate job of keeping big rigs in disrepair off the roads. There are just too many of them. When was the last time you saw a road-side check stop to examine big rigs? For me its got to be at least a year ago and I travel quite a bit. This is a more serious issue than most people would believe. Again I put this on the unprofessional driver of today. Its not all of them but there are far too many. There was a time when rig drivers took pride in keeping their rigs roadworthy. Those who didn’t were certainly the exception.
Matt, no kidding. The traffic situation in Toronto is completely out of control. Having let it get this bad, the government is now pretty much out of options. They don’t have any rail or road right-of-ways they can build on. They can’t expropriate entire housing tracts because of cost. They can’t widen the Gardiner, the QEW or the 401 because of cost. The existing rail lines don’t go where the traffic is going, they all go to the harbor.
Luckily the Morontonians have found an answer: NDP city council! If a few more years of Dipper mayors can’t depopulate Hogtown and ease the traffic, nothing can.
But as to the FBI looking into truckers, its about damn time. There’s lots and lots and LOTS of explosive things get driven around cities in trucks all day long. Say no more about that, eh?
Was the seizure of the files due to the recent announcement of the Indo-Candian Truck Drivers Union.
There are two facets to this thread.
One is the potential for serious “mischief”.
The other is the traffic problems.
I work regularly on the highways and my experience is that drivers of all demographics are getting worse. Its a matter of attitude.
Truck drivers are no worse or no better than all other drivers on the road. Therein lies the problem. Truck driver have to be BETTER than the ordinary motoring public. Sadly, many of them are not.
“A man was feeling suicidal, so he called the emergency help center.”
It’s probably my sense of humour, but I enjoyed that, DJK. Thanks.
The school bus driving license “racket” is the same as the truck driving license “racket” here in TO.
If the fed building in Okalahoma was taken down with a cube van full of diesel and fertilizer, think what a transport truck full of C4 would do…
Care to guess how many students were named Mohamed??
This is yet another in a long line of incidents in which the authorities don’t tell us much of anything.
The pattern is for authorities to, from the very beginning, throw water onto any terrorism-speculation kindling to prevent it from catching fire and creating public feelings of panic and terror.
I believe that the investigations and stings are conducted under great secrecy, very likely with pressure on the MSM to not say too much about anything that may have anything to do with terrorism.
I believe it’s likely that the war on terrorism on the home front is being fought with as low a profile as possible.
The upside: prevention of panic and prevention of feelings of terror. The downside: the public, and the government, in turn, will be lulled into a false sense of security, leading to a less prevention activity, raising the probability of a successful attack in the future.
“Another issue related to big rigs is the significant number of them out there that are in serious disrepair and a real danger to other motorists.”
More bullcrap. Atleast when compared to the number of light vehicles in disrepair.
Yearly safeties. And we hit a DOT full inspection point on the road at least once a year.
Rules made by bureaucrats that have never seen the outside of their office: like my daily inspection sheet. I have to write down that I did the inspection after I did it. But as far as I am concerned the fact that I am on the road at all constitutes the same implication. To be on the road I am required to drive a vehicle in good condition same as everyone else. The signature on the paper is immaterial.
And the requirements of the law are annoying in themselves. If I write down something on my inspection report I have 2 days to fix it. But how does the cigarette lighter (in the bunk… not the cab) relate to the road worthiness of my vehicle? Didn’t matter wrote it down and almost got a ticket cus it went 5 days without being repaired.
In a big truck if it was factory installed or you did it aftermarket it has to be in working condition. Whether it is a light on the back an airhorn, a mudflap it has to be in working condition…. Or you can be ticketed.
Anyone look at the vehicles driving around Saskatoon with collision damage from the winter? On a truck most of that must be repaired within a day of it. If it is worse you are not supposed to be on the road. Major defects are: including but not limited to: Windshield wiper control or clearing failure (sunny day or not). Failure of a turn signal lamp (how many light vehicles even use theirs?) Heater/defroster failure (even in the summer). For those you cannot even drive your vehicle until they are fixed (big ticket).
Strict rules about how much time you can spend behind the wheel in a day (week). Not so in say a van, a halfton, a car….
How many rules do you bend in a day at work? Is it any wonder some people choose to fudge logbooks with rules like this in place?
As a follow up to my first posts…. If 30% of driving time is big rigs that means only 70% is light vehicles. And while big rigs are involved in 11% of crashes each crash probably does not involve 2 or more big rigs. Assume almost 1/2 of them do (very high). That leaves light vehicles involved in 95% or so. and most of them (90%) involve 2 or more light vehicles
So why with 15 or so big rigs involved out of every 100 crashes. And 185 light vehicles involved in the same 100 crashes (maybe a little less to account for single vehicle crashes)….
Which are the drivers that need a little extra training??
I know there is some bad drivers in trucks. But even with a higher risk of dieing in a crash with a big rig…. I know which vehicles and drivers I would rather have within a few hundred feet (read: miles) of me.
I was depressed last night so I called Lifeline.
Got a call center in Pakistan.
I told them I was suicidal.
They got all excited and asked if I could drive a truck.
Barcs….yearly inspections? Bwahhahahahaa. Only in a couple of provinces.And I would bet 90% of big rig accidents are caused by idiot car/suv drivers who seem to love cutting them off. I live about 1 mile (opppsss 1.5 klicks) from a major southside industrial park in Edmonchuck. The number of brain dead drivers who pull out in front off truckers is astounding. And semis are the major traffic on the main road in/out of the park.
….In yesterdays post announcing this event, we had a comment posted, that if true, could shed light on the reason behind this action.
Billy wrote:
I’m a Swift student. We have 5 Muslims in the class trying to get their Hazmat endorsement. Why in this day and age are we allowing this to go on? Any company that does this needs to be investigated. As far as the investigation goes Swift claims that they are not the center of the controversy, but that DMV location is strictly for Swift students. You can’t tell me that Swift doesn’t have some influence over what goes on there.
Good question Billy. If this is the case, this would account for the varied Federal Agencies which are involved in this action…..
http://mexicotrucker.com/2008/02/27/fbi-dhs-raids-on-swift-transportation-day-2/
a different Bob
I keep a 40 of JD on the floor beside the seat, it’s a bitch trying to juggle 6 logbooks and I get all the sleep I need after the crank wears off.
40 years ago the traffic volumes of today were pretty much unimaginable.
Small cars point fingers at big trucks (mostly the middle one) and vice versa. Both sides deserve the gesture.
Competition for freight is fierce these days and having the drivers available AND IN COMPLIANCE with rules is a cast iron bitch. It’s going to get worse as populations increase and more and more licenses are HANDED out.
Don’t think for a second that Swift is an isolated case of shortcuts. That other agencies were involved tells me that it’s not JUST a USDOT issue.
You want your asswipe right now for a next to nothing cost? This is what you get…Rolling warehouses to avoid having the inventory on hand and taxable.
I used to run the 401. It’s gotten to the point that I told my mother that if I ever saw her driving on it, I take her car.
BTW. Trucks are a cheap barometer of the economy. The more moving, the better the economy.
Are you serious? You must not get out much Bob. ALL commercial trucks are required to have a COMPLETE safety inspection every 6 months, and a copy must be carried in the vehicle. In addition, I get pulled over and inspected (at the scale or on the road) about 5 times a year. I’ve never received a ticket for anything.
As for your son-in-law, the mountie, no disrespect intended and kudos for doing a tough job, but what the vast majority of them know about commercial trucks wouldn’t fill 1/2 a sheet of looseleaf.
I don’t do a couple of things. Never have, never will. I don’t run tired, and I don’t take pills to stay awake. I just do my job, and make the paperwork pretty. But here’s the thing Bob. If all us truckers are so terrible, so reprehensible, and so dumb, how could we run multiple logbooks. Because Bob, I’m willing to bet that after an 8 hour training session, you can’t keep ONE legal, let alone multiples. And I make a real good living running ONE LEGAL logbook. And back in those good old days Bob, thirty years ago, Canadian truckers didn’t use logbooks. Wasn’t a requirement. Only U.S. drivers did. It takes a bureaucrat to make a liar out of hard working people. But if we all ran strictly by the book, you wouldn’t see much California produce. There’s a few other things too.
The biggest problem on the road today is that the 2 greatest commodities are in very short supply these days. Common sense and common courtesy have taken a powder. No matter what you drive, large or small, there just way too many “IT”S MY ROAD” people.
As for Brad’s commsnt about the driver testing oufit in AB selling licenses without training or road tests, well, I’m glad all that privatization is working out for you. Remember to call Ralph and say thanks. Certain jobs are best left to government, and I believe testing is one of those few. Food, water, drivers to name a few.
Now as to why Swift got raided, who knows? This is the U.S federales we’re talking about. They live to raid. And if they’re looking for something, I’ll wager they find it. Sooner or later.
One more thing though, to haul Hazmat in the US requires a special endorsement, complete with fingerprints and background checks. So Hazmat will be hauled more safely. If you want proof of that, just look at how well the long gun registry is working up here. ROFLMAO.
Sorry Brad. It was Greg on the AB licensing deal.
My apologies.
9-11 had terrorist taking flying lessons.
This story involves illegal licences allowing the holder, qualified or not, to drive propane haulers, fuel haullers, chemicals such as oxidizers, fertilizers. Terror groups would find this extremely useful. Get my point?
Remember the FBI was tipped off about suspicious flying students, but IGNORED the warning.
I’d keep a close eye on this story!