A deadly crash on Interstate 10 renewed a hard question about commercial trucking in California. When an unqualified driver causes a fatal wreck, attention usually turns to the driver alone. But the company that hired and dispatched that driver may carry responsibility too.
A Fatal Crash and a Licensing Debate
The scrutiny follows an October 2025 chain-reaction crash near Ontario. Authorities say a semi-truck failed to stop and triggered an eight-vehicle pileup that killed three people and injured four others. The driver, 21-year-old Jashanpreet Singh of Yuba City, faces several counts of vehicular manslaughter. The case is pending, and no conviction has been entered.
An ABC10 investigation into the crash examined how Singh obtained a valid California commercial license and whether any rules were followed along the way. Federal regulators have since tightened the standards for issuing these licenses to non-citizen drivers, and the state has moved to revoke thousands of commercial licenses. California’s DMV has said it followed federal law and standards when it issued the license.
The Question of Who Put the Driver on the Road
For safety advocates, the licensing fight points to a larger issue. One fraud adviser interviewed for the report put it plainly. A driver rarely ends up behind the wheel on his own. Someone hired him. Someone dispatched him. And if that company knew, or should have known, that the driver was not qualified, the company shares the blame.
That view mirrors a long-standing rule in California injury law. A motor carrier has a duty to look closely at who it puts on the road. When it skips that step, the results can be devastating.
What Carriers Are Supposed to Verify
Before a driver hauls a load, a responsible carrier confirms the basics. A proper hiring process generally checks:
- A valid, current commercial license for the class of vehicle
- A driving record free of disqualifying violations
- Required training and any endorsements the load demands
- Compliance with federal hours-of-service and medical rules
A company that overlooks these steps may face a negligent hiring or negligent entrustment claim when a crash follows. In plain terms, the law asks whether the carrier acted reasonably in trusting this driver with a heavy truck.
What This Means for California Crash Victims
For an injured person, the driver’s license is only part of the story. California’s truck accident laws allow claims against the carrier that hired, trained, and supervised the driver, not just the person behind the wheel.
Truck accident victims may have grounds to pursue both the driver and the company that dispatched the truck. The same reasoning extends to cases across the state, where a carrier’s hiring and vetting decisions often decide who is ultimately responsible.
Because a serious truck crash can involve several parties, the carrier, the driver, and sometimes a broker or leasing company, sorting out fault takes a careful review of records that a victim rarely sees on their own.
If you or someone in your family was hurt in a crash involving a commercial truck, the driver’s qualifications and the carrier’s choices deserve a close look. The attorneys in the Truck Law network can review how the driver was licensed and hired and help you understand what your claim may involve under California law.