The cost of gas is going up, and it’s getting harder and harder to bear watching the fuel fill your tank as the numbers on the pump climb ever higher and higher. Perhaps Jesse Dejongh just couldn’t pay for the fuel, perhaps he just didn’t want to, or perhaps he read our article on hot fuel and figured the pump probably owed him that money anyway. Whatever it was, he filled up on $700 worth of fuel and drove off into the night.
The police started their pursuit when they spotted him driving his semi erratically. When they tried to pull him over, he took off and the chase was on. Semi rigs are good for a lot of things, but despite what action movies might tell you, high speed chases aren’t one of them.
The chase came to an end when Dejongh flipped his trailer over near Busiek State Forest. Undeterred, he abandoned his vehicle and ran off into the woods. He got away and police had actually given up on finding him until they were able to find him after he used his cell phone to make a call from within the State Park.
Dejongh was arrested, and is facing multiple felony charges. He is pleading not guilty.
Next Story: Our Roads and Bridges Are Falling Apart and Nothing’s Being Done
Source: indiana news center
John Sokol says
I heard about this on the news, and he was only 18 YO. May turn out the truck was stolen. DOT requires 21, and most insurance companies 25.
George says
Where??
Jim know it all says
I bought my first one at 18 nothing in the law books say 21 maybe u should know what ur talking about before u reply
Kratz Leatherman says
Can have a CDL A @ 18 but only drive intrastate until 21.
HeavensAngels says
Are we missing something here? Age aside… He stole fuel could have killed people when he ran and wrecked the truck. Now as for age he is 18 so an adult. Responsible for all of his actions.
Nontrainable says
It is PUNK’S like this that tarnish the reputation of all professional driver’s!
Truckdriver_mn says
lol I get a kick out of all these know it all’s that think they know the laws… John sokol………… I was 16 when I got my Class B, 18 when I got my A… You however got the age correct being 21 but not the reasoning… At 21 you are allowed to run out of your state. And every insurance is different, I had insurance when I was 19 on my first truck.
Donna says
You must be 21 to driver interstate. Intrastate only under 21. You can get CDL under 18 if farm kid or proven hardship in many states (provisional)
mike says
Well he messed up . By using a cell phone . The police did good though.
Lee says
Jim, he was referring to the fact you need to be 21 in order to drive it!
jeremiah adams says
Dot requires 21 to drive interstate. But a lot of states allow you to drive at 18 within the state.
rowdy1976 says
WOW!! no wonder we are a divided nation of highly delusional, self indulgent, highly opinionated, me first attitude people…A story like this and everyone breaks into crying over an age situation, like a bunch of kids in a daycare center..everyone wants to be right, everyone wants to proove someone else wrong..comment on the story or dont comment..I’m sure someone will attack this comment, maybe gripe about a misspelled word..by the way< 18 years owner-operator, and life time on the road driver…
Northstar says
Come on we all know what happened…This kid has watched everyone in his family make millions over the years in trucking…(sarcasm deal with it)….And decided to skip any further schooling and grabbed the first 9,000 dollar square hood he could get, so he could some what look like his uncle Billy Big Rigger…Only problem he wound up running C H Robinson freight and it broke him..
Georgiabulldog says
Great….now how about some stories about how these Trucking companies are stealing from drivers…
Or..do we only report on the poor stealing from the rich, but not the other way around?
Samuel Barradas says
We write plenty of stories about trucking companies stealing from drivers, including a story that was also published today:
https://www.thetruckersreport.com/employee-retirement-fund-and-insurance-are-owners-piggybank/
And from last week’s newsletter:
https://www.thetruckersreport.com/trucking-company-owner-accused-of-stealing-trailers/
And from the newsletter two weeks ago:
https://www.thetruckersreport.com/trucking-company-owner-embezzles-1-9-million-from-employee-retirement-funds-and-banks/
Nathan says
I still cant believe you all haven’t gotten together an done something about the fuel prices , your the only one’s who can. Shut down the trucks for 3 to 5 days an you shut down the country.I know its easier said then done , but it can be done.
Robert says
Ya what he or she said stop driving for a week and get the respect trucker deserve and maybe the pencil pushers making stupid laws up that’s never been in a truck may see the light that we are not just a nusenses on the road and dont need to be gov at 65 mph
Easy says
Oh… Rubber Duck….Rubber Duck!
Ladytrucker says
yes it is drivers like this that give all of us old timers a bad reputation, I also see it sure does not take much to ruffel every ones feathers, yes this kid did majorly wrong, and wrecked a really good truck, and his future, but as for age I started driving a water truck at the age of 10, and started driving my logging trucks as an owner operator at the age of 13 with a Chauffers Licence and then a CDL class A-with Indorsements Haz Mat & -Tanker and was driving long line as an owner operator by the age of 16, and I am a female, that has been in the trucking industry from my grandfathers truck right up to my own fleet of 44 semis over a 36 year period.
Mabel L.
Roger Chevalier says
We only had to have a license chauffeurs license before 1/1/1992 and that’s only 22 years ago.
selfish says
now thats a truck driver,,
newfieboy says
Everybody worries about the little things than worrying about ways of letting the government know how important we as drivers are to the industry and find ways to get paid for what we do.
alexis says
you may have bought your first truck at 18 but if you would actually look at a book on DOT regulations, it states that you must be a minimum age of 21 to operate a commercial vehicle legally!!!!!
Jfort says
Silly fools in florida @18 I purchased my first freightliner and drove it Intrastate untill I turned 21 and then ran it interstate for another 11 years sooooooo……….
DJaxon1 says
Yup. Federal law is 21 only if you drive out of the state where you live.
John Burleson says
Right on, rowdy1976!! The article is about a low-life criminal and has nothing to do with DOT regs on age. I could care less what the age requirements are supposed to be because as soon as I figure them out, the DOT weasels will change them again. And there are enough loopholes in the statutes just about anybody can drive just about anything just about anywhere. I want to know where the outrage is over this animal stealing fuel!! It makes the rest of us look bad, no matter how honest we try to be. It causes more pump frustration and if the fuel thieves get any more successful, the rest of us will pay for what they got away with. We have to police our own ranks because nobody else will do it for us–in their eyes we’re all lower forms of life. And I don’t care what the “civilians” think. We can change their attitudes in less than three days when we all decide to park our rigs and go fishing for a week.