Public Safety
CalMatters Investigation: CA DMV Let Fatal-Crash Truck Drivers Keep Driving
A CalMatters investigation examining court filings and DMV records for more than 130 commercial licensees charged with vehicular manslaughter from 2019 to early 2024 found nearly half still held valid Class A or B licenses as of late May. The report centers on Baljit Singh, who killed a motorcyclist in Kern County in July 2021 and then killed Jenny Chow outside Fresno in June 2022, with the DMV aware of the first crash but not suspending his license until 2024. State law empowers the DMV to investigate fatal collisions and suspend licenses without a conviction, but records show the agency routinely does nothing or takes years to act. About 4,000 people died in large-truck crashes in California from 2015 through 2024. After CalMatters submitted questions about specific drivers, the DMV took action against a dozen of them.