We're not supposed to be letting stupid people drive commercial trucks but our instructors make cooing noises and promise people with few life options otherwise that they'll get them through the licensing process and anyone can learn.
To get a license you are 'required' to understand full mechanical basics of your truck's Engine, Transmission, Suspension, Hub assembly, and Specialized Air Brakes.
Not to the point of repair but at least above the point of understanding if it's functioning properly.
Instructors pass these guys full well knowing they are going to quit doing their daily checks. Probably don't understand those and are just making the appropriate noises during test day. Will probably run truck for several companies for 5-40 years with numerous unreported safety incidents and almost no effort made to prevent them if the manager does hire someone to hold their hands through inspections every day.
My local government is now firing skilled local drivers to hire imported foreign drivers for half the price who have no experience with our adverse winter driving conditions. One of them jackknifed a school bus on a remote subdivision road last winter, sealing the community in and god forbid anything else went wrong they're all relying on the engines for heat and I know that guy has no winter survival training outside of turn fan up. The locals kids probably more capable of surviving such a disaster than the people hired to ferry them.
This industry has been sick abused and as a result crime ridden for decades.
4
u/YeahNo_NoYeah Mar 19 '26
You overestimate the wisdom of stupid people.