Dangerous Roads newsletter: Absurdity of alleged DMV truck driver scam can't disguise deadly stakes

I’ve mused here before about how becoming licensed to operate a motor vehicle in New York might be too easy.

It would appear Jamie Middleton’s clients, trying to be licensed truck drivers, disagreed.

Nassau prosecutors last week charged Middleton with accepting up to $3,000 to take the written commercial driver’s permit test for several would-be truck drivers at a Garden City DMV.

Surveillance video caught Middleton wearing various disguises, including a fake beard and mustache, to pass herself off as the men claiming to take the test, even as her long, manicured nails were caught on tape. Two DMV workers, including Middleton’s sister, are accused of facilitating the scheme in exchange for a cut of the money. They all pleaded not guilty.

I wouldn’t blame you for getting a chuckle from the absurdity of this alleged scam — and that prosecutors say Middleton actually failed one of the nine tests she took. It’s unclear whether she provided a money-back guarantee.

But the crimes Middleton and others are accused of are deadly serious. The whole reason for having licensing standards at all is to try to ensure that drivers are responsible enough to safely operate a motor vehicle on public roads.

And that’s especially important for commercial drivers entrusted with handling some of the biggest, and most dangerous, vehicles on the road.

As Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said upon announcing the 51-count indictment, "A single second hesitation or misjudgment could spell catastrophe" if a commercial driver isn’t thoroughly familiar with the rules of the road.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, there were 111 fatal crashes involving a large truck or bus in New York in 2024, one more than in the previous year. Nationally, there were 4,291 deadly commercial vehicle crashes last year.

I don’t know about you, but when I’m driving on the LIE behind a 25,000-pound tractor trailer hauling another 50,000 pounds of cargo, I want to be sure that the person behind the wheel underwent every bit of training and certification required to be there, and then some.

Readers speak up

This week’s reader email comes in response to last week's, when Anthony Pantaleno opined that "politicians don’t care" about keeping Long Island’s roads safe:

I agree with Anthony Pantaleno. More times than I care to remember, I and my family have been terrorized by these bad drivers who drive as if our roads were their personal video game and the lives they affect do not matter. The fact of the matter is that the roads should be shared and consideration given to each driver on them. I am 75 years old and have yet to see one of these violators pulled over by law enforcement. Don’t the people we elect care what is going on on our roads?

Roland Varriale, Rockville Centre

How much responsibility do you think elected leaders have for Long Island’s dangerous roads problem? Let us know at roads@newsday.com.

By Alfonso A. Castillo

alfonso.castillo@newsday.com@alfonsoreports

Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.