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With an estimated 1.8 million commercial trucks on California roads, there’s a good chance you’ll encounter one on your next drive. But despite the increased dangers that come with such colossal vehicles, over a hundred unlicensed schools operate in California with little or no supervision.
As CalMatters’ Adam Echelman and Erika Ee explain, under current state law, private trucking schools that charge students $2,500 or less do not need state licenses. At least 184 trucking schools in California are not regulated by the state, according to a CalMatters analysis of federal data.
Steve Gold, founder and CEO of a chain of trucking schools, told CalMatters that his commercial trucking program took 18 months to become state certified. Its schools charge students $6,000 and require about 160 hours of instruction. Meanwhile, students in unlicensed programs are told they can graduate in 15 hours — the minimum requirement for behind-the-wheel training under state law.
- goldduring testimony last year in support of an failed bill this would have closed the training loophole: “Unsuspecting ordinary drivers have no idea that an 80,000-pound truck on the highway is being driven by a person who is not properly trained.”
Aspiring truckers can also find themselves on the losing end of unlicensed schools that can open as suddenly as they close.
In August, Ricardo Chavez was enrolled at Truck Nation School in Modesto. Two days before taking the required California Department of Motor Vehicles tests to become a commercial driver, Chavez showed up at the school’s gate and saw a sign saying the school was closed.
By then, Chavez was out $2,000 in tuition and fees, and in the days after the school closed, he failed his DMV test twice. He eventually passed on his third try, almost three weeks later and after paying $300 to another unlicensed school.
Chavez still doesn’t have a job as a carrier.
CalMatters Events: Mi Escuelita, a preschool in San Diego, is transforming the way young children recover from trauma. Join our event on Thursday, in person in Chula Vista or virtually, to hear from California leaders in trauma-informed care about what’s working, what it takes to sustain it, and how policymakers can expand these programs. Register today.
Other stories you should know
CalMatters investigation leads to proposed legislation
A bipartisan group of Assembly members gathered at the state Capitol on Monday to unveil a handful of bills that aim to curb road deaths. The package of bills follows a series of investigations by CalMatters’ Robert Lewis and Lauren Hepler looking at how California’s leaders, courts and legislators fail to keep dangerous drivers off the road.
One of the proposals would force first-time DUI offenders to install drag guards in their vehicles. These devices force drivers to prove they are sober enough to drive in order to start their cars, but California is one of the few states that does not require first-time offenders to install one.
Another bill would require the California DMV to add points to someone’s driving record when they are granted a misdemeanor diversion. Currently, drivers who agree to participate in a diversion program can be turned away by a judge on felony manslaughter charges. This allows them to avoid both a criminal conviction and a point against their driving record.
State senators are expected to unveil details next week of their own package of bills designed to address California’s rising death toll.
Newsom agrees to $590 million in funding for Bay Area transit
From CalMatters policy and campaign reporter Yue Stella Yu:
Gov. Gavin Newsom and Bay Area transit officials have agreed to a $590 million loan to the region’s struggling transit operators, who for months have warned of critical, impending service cuts without an infusion of cash.
The deal, announced Friday and went to press on Mondaywill use dollars approved for other construction projects and redirect them by July to transit systems like BART and Muni, which both face hundreds of millions of dollars in deficit. Under the deal, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission will receive, distribute and, within 12 years, repay the loan.
The agreement followed months of negotiations during which Newsom’s position continued to shift, first agreeing to a $750 million loan and then urges transit operators to use existing dollars insteadciting the state’s bleak budget forecast.
Transit advocates say the money will help temporarily maintain the systems as local leaders push for a regional ballot measure in November. If approved, it would establish a 14-year sales tax to fund the trains starting in July 2027.
California voices
CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: Newsom’s autobiography, out this month, predictably covers the trials and tribulations of his life, but not review what he did as governor.
CalMatters contributor Robert Green: Many California judges are concerned about President Donald Trump’s sweeping attacks on the judiciary, and amid the various political pressures facing state and federal judges, it’s more important than ever that judges protect the rule of law.
Other things worth your time:
Starring Gavin Newsom the long game // The New Yorker
Sorting fact from fiction in fraud allegations around Newsom, CA // Los Angeles Times
Why CA is years late on mandatory disaster reports — and why it matters for the next big fire // LAist
The Super Bowl is coming to the Bay Area as US political tensions spill over into Levi’s Stadium // San Francisco Chronicle
Meta invests $65 million in super PACs to promote tech-friendly US candidates // A politician
Leaked videos show prison guards in California pepper-sprayed women in prison who reported sexual misconduct // Los Angeles Times
San Diego Against Child Exploitation funding at risk due to Trump terms, lawsuit says // San Diego Union Tribune
