Deregulated Truck Driver Training Is Fueling Highway Danger

When carriers cut corners on safety, innocent drivers pay the price

Across East Texas, people are sharing the road with more 18-wheelers than ever before. But what many drivers don’t realize is that a growing number of truckers may not have received the kind of real training their jobs require.

For crash victims, this is more than a safety concern; it’s a legal one. An East Texas Truck Accident Lawyer can often trace these devastating wrecks back to unqualified drivers who never should have been cleared to operate a commercial vehicle in the first place.

According to federal crash data, nearly 100,000 truck accidents happen every year in the United States, leading to around 5,000 deaths. In 2023 alone, more than 150,000 crashes involved commercial trucks, a 40 percent increase in fatalities since 2014. Many of these wrecks happened right here in Texas, one of the busiest freight states in the country.

That sharp rise isn’t just bad luck. It’s the result of a dangerous shift in how new truck drivers are trained and licensed.

The rise of CDL mills and unqualified drivers

In 2022, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration changed how Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs) are issued. The goal was to streamline the process for getting more drivers on the road, but it opened the floodgates to abuse.

The change created a federal “self-certification” system that lets anyone register as a CDL trainer, no state license, no qualifications, no oversight. As a result, there are now over 32,000 federally listed “training providers,” compared to about 2,100 legitimate state-licensed schools.

Many of these new operations are what safety experts call CDL mills. They are low-quality programs that rush trainees through a few hours of instruction before sending them to the DMV for a license. Some don’t even provide hands-on training. In the worst cases, drivers learn by watching online videos instead of practicing behind the wheel of an 80,000-pound truck.

When you consider the weight and speed of these vehicles, it’s easy to see how this creates a recipe for disaster on highways across Texas.

How deregulation puts Texas drivers at risk

East Texas roads have always carried a steady mix of local commuters, oilfield traffic, and interstate freight haulers. But the rise of untrained or undertrained drivers has made those same routes, from I-20 to Highway 31 through Henderson County, more dangerous than ever.

Smaller trucking companies can now self-certify as training providers, allowing them to put drivers on the road with minimal preparation. These drivers may not fully understand how to handle sharp turns, steep grades, or the long braking distances required for loaded rigs. Some struggle with blind spots or fatigue management, both of which are leading causes of fatal truck accidents.

The result is predictable: more rollovers, rear-end crashes, and jackknife accidents caused by drivers who were never properly taught how to control their rigs under pressure. For families in pickup trucks and passenger cars, the consequences can be devastating.

What undertrained drivers get wrong behind the wheel

When a commercial truck driver doesn’t receive proper training, small mistakes become deadly ones. Operating a semi-truck or another type of big rig requires judgment, timing, and technical skill —qualities that can’t be learned in a weekend course or through self-certified CDL programs.

Most victims notice something just before impact: a truck closing in too fast, drifting out of its lane, or turning wide into oncoming traffic. Those moments often stem from poor or incomplete training.

Common errors made by undertrained truck drivers include:

• Late braking: Inexperienced drivers underestimate stopping distance, especially with heavy loads, leading to rear-end collisions.
• Missed blind spots: Failing to check mirrors or signals causes sideswipe crashes and forces smaller vehicles off the road.
• Improper turns: Turning from the wrong lane or cutting corners can trap or crush vehicles alongside the trailer.
• Speed on downgrades: Drivers without proper hill-control training lose braking power on slopes, resulting in jackknife or runaway-truck crashes.
• Overcorrecting or drifting: Poor steering control during wind gusts, distractions, or fatigue often leads to rollovers.

These errors are typically preventable with adequate instruction. When they occur, it’s not “driver error” in isolation. It’s a symptom of a system that puts an unprepared operator behind the wheel. An East Texas truck accident lawyer can analyze the crash pattern to determine whether a lack of training played a role and build that into a claim for compensation.

When training failures lead to tragedy

When an undertrained or unqualified truck driver causes a crash, it isn’t a random accident. It’s the predictable outcome of a system that puts profit before safety. Texas law allows victims to hold trucking companies accountable for negligent hiring, training, and supervision, and that’s where the right legal team makes all the difference.

At Weinstein Law, attorney Jeff Weinstein is an experienced truck accident lawyer who can uncover the facts that negligent trucking companies try to hide. Driver qualification files, training logs, maintenance records, and safety reports can all prove that the carrier ignored its duty to protect the public. That evidence can dramatically affect the outcome of a claim and the amount of compensation victims recover.

Insurance adjusters and defense lawyers move fast to shift blame away from the trucking company. Victims shouldn’t face that alone. The legal team at Weinstein Law has spent nearly 40 years standing up to major carriers and insurers across East Texas, winning results that bring accountability and peace of mind.

Our firm has recovered millions for clients, including a $7.5 million settlement for a Kaufman County truck accident.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident, don’t wait. Contact Weinstein Law today for a free consultation. Our office is located in Athens, TX, and we proudly serve clients throughout Henderson County and East Texas. One call. Jeff handles it all.

"I’m so blessed to have this man by my side through the hardest time in my life. Him and his company have been wonderful and very helpful for me and my family. Thank you for making things easier for us. If you have had an accident and have no idea what to do, just call them and they’ll handle all your worries, concerns, and problems for you!" - Jerrica N., ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐