California's Department of Motor Vehicles routinely did nothing after commercial truck drivers were involved in fatal crashes — even though state law gives it power to investigate and suspend a licence with or without a conviction — a CalMatters investigation has found. Reporters examined court filings and DMV records for more than 130 commercial licensees charged with vehicular manslaughter from 2019 to early 2024 and found nearly half still held a valid Class A or Class B licence as of late May, including a dozen drivers who were ticketed again for unsafe driving in a commercial vehicle after a death.
Source: CalMatters investigation, republished by IE Law News
The investigation centres on Baljit Singh. In July 2021, Singh's semitruck drifted over the median on Merle Haggard Drive in Kern County on his way to an Amazon distribution centre and killed a 26-year-old man on a motorcycle, CalMatters reported. A collision report said pages from Singh's hours logbook were found 'ripped into small pieces'; California Highway Patrol investigators alleged he was fatigued after driving beyond the limit and recommended a vehicular manslaughter charge. The DMV knew of the fatal crash but did not suspend him.
Source: CalMatters investigation, republished by IE Law News
Eleven months later, in June 2022, Singh's loaded Freightliner — travelling at 65 miles per hour, yaani about 105 km/h, outside Fresno — struck the Chow family's SUV, killing Jenny Chow as the family returned from a college visit, according to the investigation. Law enforcement said Singh caused the crash by driving too fast. Singh was not convicted of manslaughter in Kern and Fresno counties until 2024; only then did the DMV take his licence, CalMatters found. Singh and his attorney did not respond to requests for comment.
Source: CalMatters investigation, republished by IE Law News
Other cases follow the same pattern, the investigation found. Marco Rodriguez was convicted of manslaughter after his tractor-trailer drifted onto the shoulder of Interstate 10 in 2018 and killed tow operator Jon Israel; police caught him speeding in commercial vehicles three times from 2022 onward, yet the DMV renewed his trucking licence in March and disqualified him only in July, after CalMatters asked about the case — a one-year ban. Vehicular manslaughter is supposed to carry three licence points for a truck driver, but in almost every record reviewed it was listed as two, the penalty for a regular driver.
Source: CalMatters investigation, republished by IE Law News
The DMV declined an interview and would not comment on specific cases, but after CalMatters sent its list it took action against about a dozen drivers, including suspensions. In a written statement, spokesperson Jonathan Groveman said the agency has updated how it handles fatal crashes and manslaughter convictions, identified cases that had not been reviewed, and needs law enforcement and the courts to report information in a timely manner so it can act. About 4,000 people died in large-truck crashes in California from 2015 through 2024, according to federal data cited in the investigation.
Source: CalMatters investigation, republished by IE Law News; summary also reported by PoliticsOn