STEPPED-UP TRUCKER MONITORING ON THE TABLE

When Anthony Robert Saiz ran his commercial truck through an Anaheim Hills
intersection in March, killing one man and smashing into a dozen vehicles,
he was driving with an expired license and a record of five commercial and
two personal driving violations in the previous three years.

Saiz tested positive for methamphetamine and morphine use after the
accident. From 1998 to 2000 he'd been cited for offenses that included
driving a commercial truck with faulty brakes, exceeding the maximum truck
weight load and failure to obey traffic signs, according to Department of
Motor Vehicle records.

You'd think with all those violations, Saiz would have shown up on
somebody's radar screen. Unfortunately, neither his employer nor
enforcement agencies stopped the Lakewood trucker from driving.

The Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986 says that drivers of large
trucks or buses can lose their commercial licenses if convicted of certain
driving offenses involving their commercial vehicle.

But too many bad drivers fall through the cracks, says Michael Scippa,
executive director of Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways, or CRASH, a
Bay Area group that advocates stronger truck safety laws.

Many agencies don't share information that could help track down a
dangerous truck driver, and license suspension rules do not let authorities
look at drivers' personal driving records.

The problem of truckers with bad records continuing to find driving jobs
has created such a safety hazard that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration, or FMCSA, has proposed a new rule that would allow
regulators to consider drivers' personal driving records. It also eases
barriers that keep various jurisdictions and agencies from sharing
information about truck drivers' records.

Offenses that would disqualify a driver include drunken driving, excessive
speed, reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident, committing a
general or substance-related felony and violating railroad grade crossing
signs.

More than 5,000 people were killed and 140,000 injured in large-truck
crashes nationwide in 1999, and officials hope the new proposal will result
in fewer risky drivers being behind the wheel of a big rig.

Truck safety advocates say it's about time.

Holding truckers accountable for their personal driving records as well as
their commercial performance seems like a "no brainer," CRASH's Scippa says.

An estimated 9,000 truck drivers could be disqualified from driving if the
proposed rule is adopted, he says. Acting Deputy FMSCA Administrator Julie
Anna Cirillo says nearly 500 commercial-vehicle-related accidents would be
avoided annually if the new rule takes effect.

American Trucking Assn. spokesman Tom Amontree said his organization has
supported the concept of disqualifying drivers with bad records and will
comment on the proposed rule after policy specialists have a chance to
review it. "We want to make sure all the drivers out there are the best and
the safest," he says.

In the Anaheim Hills crash that killed Anaheim optometrist Kenneth Michael
Larkin, Saiz is charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while
intoxicated. He also faces a felony charge of driving under the influence
and driving with an expired license.

In addition to his commercial driving citations, Saiz's personal DMV record
incudes citations for expired and improper vehicle registrations, no proof
of insurance and failure to provide seat belts for passengers, according to
attorney Wylie Aitken, who represents Larkin's family.

At the time of the accident, Saiz's truck greatly exceeded the maximum load
weight and seven of the eight braking systems on the truck were out of
adjustment, Aitken says.

Aug. 2 is the deadline for public and industry comment on the proposed
rules. Written comments can be faxed to the Department of Transportation at
(202) 493-2251 or mailed to the USDOT Docket Facility, Attn: Docket No.
FMCSA-00-782, Room PL-401, 400 7th St. S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590-0001.

The rule is also posted on the Internet and can be viewed at
http://dms.dot.gov. Comments can be submitted at http://dmses.dot.gov/submit.