The Consequences of Unlicensed Truck Operation Posted by DC Cargo Mall on July 15, 2013

When it comes to driving, and especially truck driving, being properly licensed is not a bonus. It is a necessary standard.

Just like a psychologist earns a degree in psychology, a nurse in nursing, and a lawyer in law, the truck driver must study and be tested for qualification in that field. 

Some people assume that it is just as easy to attain as a regular driving license, and fail to meet standards in the trucking industry. That, as illustrated by Yousef Adhami, for one is a more than a horrid idea, it is fatal idea.

Adhami, 43 operated his tow truck with overconfidence and misplaced pride. In fact, the tow truck he had been driving was owned by his very own illegal tow truck company. Adhami had no truck license.

Other than his regular class C driving license, Adhami’s driving history was tainted with a host of four incidences of suspended licensing.

His pride led him to believe that his invincibility allowed for his speed meter to climb to upwards of 60 mph in a 35 mph zone. His risky flight through a red light resulted in a 47 years old metro bus driver, Olivia Gamboa’s untimely death. The truck pummeled into the front of a convenience store as well, if matters weren't twisted enough.

Diego Tapia-Ullos, 23, was another truck driver who had a lesson to learn. Although obtaining a proper commercial license, it was suspended. The suspension of his license apparently did not stop him from driving, and led him to crash into a pedestrian named Laurence Renard, 35, a stylist for high end clothing companies.

He was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation.

A truck driver who strayed from proper road rules was operating his truck on a highway in Moscow and crashed with such force into a city bus that it tore the bus into two pieces. Eighteen were killed and thirty-one were hospitalized.

The contents of his enormous truck, a load of crushed stones, came toppling down onto the road in the wake of the accident.

The driver was faced with seven years behind bars.

This influenced Russian authorities like federal lawmaker Yevgeny Moskivichyov to institute a rule where foreign commercially licensed drivers would have to undergo testing for a Russian license if they wished to be employed in commercial driving. Temporarily passing through Russian territory would not require the same local testing though, he added.

Part of the regular truck functioning and loading tests and checks of tightened straps and chains before each drive and in between, should be inclusive of a check for your commercial licenses presence and its whereabouts. And if you don’t have a thick plastic card with your name on it and commercial licensing qualification titling, then by golly, you should not be driving a truck! Always keep this in mind: lives are at stake, including yours.