The owner of a truck driving school in Alabama allegedly bribed a CDL examiner to pass his students – sometimes without even taking the test. According to the indictment, the bribe cost only $25 per student.
James F. Welburn is the owner of American Truck Driving Academy (ATDA) in Lee County, Alabama. The 72-year-old was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges including conspiracy, bribery, and wire fraud.
According to the indictment, ATDA offered a three-week CDL course. At the end of which, Welburn sent his students to get tested by an unnamed CDL examiner in Georgia. Welburn allegedly bribed the examiner, paying him $25 per student. In return he gave the students “favorable treatment.” That allegedly meant anything from skipping portions of the skills test which Welburn believed the students wouldn’t be able to pass, to skipping the skills test entirely.
It isn’t clear how many bribes are alleged to have been given, nor how many CDLs should not have been issued. The scheme is alleged to have been conducted starting in February 2015, and lasting through April 2018.
This indictment comes as the Department of Transportation is considering allowing CDL schools to administer skills tests to their own students. Critics of the proposal have voiced concern that doing so would allow CDL schools to more give students passing grades without teaching them to safely operate a commercial truck.
According to reporting from Freightwaves, ATDA is still open and accepting new students.
Source: gobytrucknews, freightwaves, wtvm, benzinga, montgomeryadvertiser, yahoofinance
This is wrong I have to take college coarse for 13 weeks, then I had to go take the written test and the driver test before I could get my CDL. I pass everything I made 98 and I get my CDL CLASSES Ad’s this is while you get your CDL CLASS A’s
I never went to truck school, been driving 38 years don’t need it ,never had any issues and have been to most major cities in us
Took me 10 days. I don’t know what exactly it took u 13 weeks to learn.
I was only in school for less than 2 weeks… wtf school did you attend?!
This kind of thing should be punishable by imprisonment!!! Im a 30 plus yr trucker and ive seem ALOT of drivers out there showing very low to zero skills for driving a commercial vehicle. I love trucking, but in this day and age i cant wait to retire from the ridiculousness its become.
Too much b.s. u right
As bad as the idea of allowing 18 year olds to obtain a CDL license.
So sending an 18 year old to operate high dollar military equipment and die for our country is okay but they can’t get a CDL to make a living. Yeah that makes lots of sense. NOT !!!
18 year olds go into the service to grow up. Most 18 year olds today are useless. You want to put them behind the wheel of a truck? Obviously you haven’t been driving long. That’s if your even a driver
That’s like comparing apples to oranges. Two very different environments and circumstances. Think about it
18 year olde can go to war, why is this add to drive a truck?!
I had a commercial drivers license when I was 18. I am now 69 and have not had a serious truck accident in my driving career.
Yeah but 18 back then is a lot different now with all do respect. Kids now are to easily distracted.
I have to agree that times are certainly different. 50 years ago the public respected truckers. They knew about courtious driving and there was only a cb radio, a pocket full of dimes and open roads. Truckers then were often first responders and the only available communication to emergency services because all truckers ran a radio therefore even if your radio couldn’t reach them the message was passed from driver to driver till ES was contacted. The public once reviered truckers as the nights of the highway. Now we are viewed as cockroaches of society.
That’s because 18 years old in the 60s and 70s was a different time. We also were on our own at 18 not
45 and living in mom and dads basement. There’s no comparison.
Robert Bilyeu anything is bad without the proper training and experience but as we’ve seen before time again just because you’re older doesn’t mean you’re better. I had a drivers license at 15 it was restricted until I turned 16 but I was driving on the road with everyone else and got my CDL when I turned 18. I thought because I took care of myself every since I was 17 that it would be no problem for me to go OTR but I couldn’t until I was 21. The problem was I couldn’t get a local job without going OTR 1st but I knew from a young age that eventually someone would say yes and that’s how I drove locally and my driving career went where I wanted from there. 18 years later and 2 trucks and trailers of my own. I’ve never had a major accident. I have had a few accidents but nothing I couldn’t fix on my own or had to file a claim on. This was in the beginning of my driving career but please raise your hand as a driver if you’ve never had an accident?? If you’ve haven’t that’s even better. All I know is for the most part I take my time and try to take accountability for what I’m doing and know that whatever it is will be there when I get there. So it can be done but the proper steps has to be taken.
What’s so bad about that? You have no problem with them operating tanks in battle to defend your freedom do you? But you have a problem with them making a living. Pretty selfish if you ask me. I know 18 year olds who’ll drive circles around you.
You obviously didn’t read the article. This kind of thing(minimal, if any training) goes on far, far more than is ever reported. That being said I wouldn’t have a problem with this if in fact they received the rigorous training required of them in the military. I can assure you that far more than 2 weeks in a classroom and one week on a test course goes into learning to drive a tank.
By the time you’re a good tank driver you’re way past 18, right?
I totally agree. We need 18 year olds in all areas including OTR. We ask them operate million dollar equipment, ships, tanks, planes, choppers and military 18 wheelers. Its bs that we think because they are 18 to 20 they cant handle it. I regularly test older adults that I fail on driving tests because they don’t have the skills. Its skill based, should not be age based.
I know a,guy who is,over 70 teaches,at local truck school and,says,most new applicants,have trouble speaking English. Let alone driving a big rig
Defend our freedom??? I think elogs took that away. Now you’re robots.
Sounds like your 18
My military experience never compared to the civilian world. I was constantly supervised as all young people are in service and driving was mainly away from general public. 6 years active Army. After retiring from civilian work I decided to go into transportation in 2013. From experience I am qualified to state my opinion that the qualifying age for a CDL needs to be at 21 but also wish it was 25. I have been witness to numerous farm boy types grandfathered in that are too aggressive and negligent unsupervised.
And yes I used my vet grant to go to a college accredited to do actual training for 9 weeks. Took the test by myself, had to point out all the main components of steering/engine/brakes/lights-electrical and show what to look for as if I were doing a level 1 inspection.
Well then. This won’t happen anymore, when or if cdl schools are allowed to give the cdl exams them selves! No one to need to bribe!
Sign here, welcome to our school. Now sign here, congratulations on passing your cdl exam! We’ve secured a position for you at Swift!
It’s dangerous to do so operating a combination vehicle is a serious matter it is not a game. Also it’s not fair to those of us who work really hard to get our CDL in the correct manner.
I’ve seen too many accidents that have resulted in fatal deaths. My dad was killed by a trucker because he didn’t know how to operate a standard shift 12 speed with a stick. They should close ATDA down as an example of what happens when money and greed becomes the focal point rather than care and concern of the lives of the students and everyone else around them.
RIP “DADDY” I love and miss you very much. ATDA =CDL =Careless, Dangerous, Liars!!!!!
FRIGGIN SCARY I hope they really set an example of this piece of TRASH
That’s just so sad and people wonder why we truck drivers have such a bad rap ! This people should be imprisoned for life with no parole no telling how many people killed by this peoples greed!
Swift did it years ago in Memphis and you can bet in the southwest theres alot of non speaking English drivers as well. You’ve seen the guy at the fuel island giving the cashier a hand written note of how much fuel he needs.
$25 a pop is not really greed more like stupidity. I would of charged $26.33.. 6-7 years tops I could have a qualkity used roller coaster of my very own.
Cdl schools do not teach students to operate a truck safely. They teach students to get their CDL period. If you want safer new drivers, the 6 weeks training after getting their CDL is just not enough time. New drivers need to ride with qualified drivers that have 3+ years experience, for 10-15 weeks. There are too many companies using inexperienced drivers to train new drivers, and 6 weeks is just not enough, period.
Amen brother!
I guess I’m not sure where I stand on the 18-year-olds. I got my CDL at 18, and unless the laws change 18-year-olds can get their CDL both class a and class B but are limited to driving intrastate. However I found a loophole that allowed an 18-year-old to drive interstate provided what he was moving was not goods for sale and were owned by the company.
Because of this and from the time of being a kid dreaming of driving a truck, I was extra careful to make sure I did things right.
As for schools testing their own students, this story here highlights exactly why this is not a good idea. To not have an independent third-party testing students is just asking for more of this type of story to occur. What this story also highlights, is the need for constant scrutiny of these independent testers.
That’s not true. The examiners at the schools would be fully qualified as truck drivers and state certified as examiners. There are 2 ways under Federal law for 3rd party examiners to keep that certification. 1. Recertify annually. 2. State sends examiners to audit the testing.
I know first hand because the company I work for has their own CDL testing program and the state has chosen to audit the testing.
In addition to that, I had a state examiner ride along on my road test and observe my backing when I tested in 2016. What they are there for is to make sure that the examiners are giving an honest and fair test.
They have final authority to say no if they feel the student didn’t pass.
I know this for a fact because a friend of mine had a student fail the pretrip. According to the state his foot slipped off the brake pedal during the air brake applied pressure test. If he would have said I need to start over, he wouldn’t have failed. But at the conclusion of the in cab inspection he said I’m done.
State examiner said you failed.
Every student needs thier license pulled and retested at the schools cost.
WA. Stopped this a few years back. They made it so the 3rd party tester was not from the school that trained the driver just for this reason.
The problem won’t end until companies go back to relay and drivers go home everyday.
I got out of driving because it was a bad investment. 30k a year for 60 to 70 HR work weeks.
ABA in math will get me 70 to 80 K a year with only 40 to 50 HR work weeks. Much better ROI.
I make 80 grand a year and I work 40-45 hours a week home 3 days a week.., the good jobs are out there ya just gotta look! Also everyone complaining about ELD that’s the read wages have come up so much in the past few years! I love it . 20 years trucking and it’s never been so good
This is bad but we all know its been happening for years all over the place. At least he wasnt discriminatingbetween the sexes it looks like. Im sure most drivers have heard stories of the woman that passed the class who got ro be real goid friends wuth the instructor. Yes im insinuating that. We all know it happens. This guy got caught. Needed to. The fact is for most folk 3 weeks in a school wont make you a driver for the most part. It will get the basics but the real training is on the road with a trainer whos told to train this guy often with no extra training pay. Cause either you do it or they find someone that will and your out.
Over 3 years this was going on! The greed and selfishness of the world is just killing the common responsible drivers. Amazing enough not one student stood up and said anything about how unethical this is. They can put all the great and wonderful technology in the trucks all they want it’s not going to slow down the fatalities that will increase because of this mindset.
This school must have also had a contract with swift. We got our answer as to where swift drivers get their license 🤣🤣🤣
How many of the students involved went on to cause an accident? If the number is zero,we may want to look into eliminating the skills test altogether, if the number is all of them the people involved in the scheme should be held liable. If no harm was done I don’t see what the problem is.and no,you don’t have to be 90years old to drive a truck,I could teach a smart monkey to do it.my son is 18,responsible, safety minded,been around trucks and heavy equipment his whole life and I would have no problem with him having a class a license, if he can go to Iraq and operate advanced weapons systems I’m pretty sure he can drive a truck if he put his mind to it,its not rocket science, but we raised him to be smarter than that. Trucking is better suited for the homeless who have no roots and no place to sleep at night because that’s about all a new driver today is going to have, a roof over his head and something to eat without having to pan handle. Other than that I don’t see how they would lure young people with a life into trucking. When I was 18 you couldn’t have dragged me into a truck talking about leaving for weeks,I had girls and was partying like most people that age,don’t worry,I don’t think the young whipper snappers want your jobs but if they did many could do just as good, maybe even better than some 70 year old man with high blood pressure and diabetes.
Hey sonny, that kinda stings to an old fart like me with good blood pressure. But you hit the nail on the head that being a trucker is like being a higher class of homeless person.
I was going to be hired in a school to become an instructor , worked there 2days before I actually got hired to see if I would like it. And I realized quick not everyone deserves to be a trucker. This one guy just could not grasp the concept of shifting gears and backing up part. I told them do not pass him. He can’t drive. He would get people killed and they could be sued.
I am well aware Alabama is not Md but I am going to tell you all a story of just how bad CDL testing is in other states. I took my first CDL test in Md twenty six years ago and the state inspector sent to test us nearly got punched in the mouth by our instructor for failing people on the same exact things he lets others pass on. It was a zoo that I vowed I would NEVER allow myself to go thru again. Md is one of the hardest states to get a CDL in because of the mundane way (at that time) they tested you. If you said something wrong ONCE during your pretrip that was grounds for failure. You were not allowed to make corrections even if it was two seconds after you caught your mistake. You were literally expected to say it word for word as it was in the book. At that time Md had the highest failure rate in the country. Unfortunately every one who attended that school regardless of the year they attended are going to have to go back and retest. I am willing to bet that three quarters of those drivers are no longer driving trucks anyway for multiples of reasons with the number one being they figured out trucking is nothing more than a sweat shop on wheels. For those who haven’t quit and are still driving were I them that would be the final push for me to look for another career. I took my CDL test in Md twenty-five years ago.
I cant help but laugh, considering all I ever hear is complaints about “regulations”….mostly from conservatives. Dont be pissed when people ignore and disregard rules and regs. Its what you love. Unfortunately, odds say someone who didnt earn their CDL and most likely incompetent as a truck driver, will hurt someone. SMH.
DON’T ALLOW SCHOOLS TO TEST PEOPLE OUT… the schools might even intentionally fail people to hold them longer and charge the more money
Putting people’s life and your career at risk, for $25 is not reasonable.
Is that cheaper than going to Pep Boys?
Why isn’t this d wad hung by his for nails ?
In the military you have extensive training and others with you , (a sitter) , if you allow 18 yo ( that wouldn’t even consider military) that play their video games all day at moms house out here, it’ll be a big mistake, you don’t have a sitter out here!! No proper training!! Hell they are already driving on the Atlantic City boardwalk, onto Lake Michigan , onto a bicycle path in Milwaukee!! Really!!!
At 72 years old he’ll get a slap on the hands pay a fine the retrain those students for free.
Shortage of drivers is too severe to have them out of driving truck.
There is no driver shortage. Freight is getting to it’s destinations more quickly and cheaply now, than ever before. There is a surplus of trucks, but with most drivers getting 2000-2400 miles per week, there is no shortage of drivers. Carriers would be running us a lot harder, if there were. Freight rates (and driver pay) would increase, if there were. Store shelves would be bare, if there were.
Stop pretending that there is a shortage of drivers. There isn’t.
That instructor should be in jail that is wrong