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“Even at the Speed Limit, the Left Lane Is Not Your Lane”: Colorado State Patrol Pulled Over 2,540 Drivers for Left-Lane Camping in 2025

By
Kristina
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COLORADO — The Colorado State Patrol cracked down on 2,540 drivers in 2025 for camping in the left lane and slowing traffic flow. CSP announced the numbers on March 17, 2026, renewing its push to remind drivers that left-lane camping is illegal on Colorado roads posted at 65 mph or higher.

The enforcement spread across the state’s busiest corridors. The top roads for left-lane stops in 2025 were:

  1. I-70 — 962 contacts
  2. I-25 — 564 contacts
  3. Highway 50 — 297 contacts
  4. Highway 160 — 190 contacts
  5. E-470 — 149 contacts

Under Colorado law, the far-left lane on multi-lane roads posted at 65 mph or greater serves as a passing lane only. Once a driver completes a pass or allows a vehicle to merge, they must move right. Staying put creates bottlenecks and triggers dangerous reactions from other drivers — including unsafe passing, tailgating, and light flashing.

CSP Chief Col. Matthew C. Packard drove the point home. “Even if you are driving the maximum legal speed limit, the left lane is not intended to be a permanent travel lane on roadways 65 mph or greater in Colorado,” Packard said. “Drivers are not legally allowed to obstruct traffic lanes in Colorado, so even if you don’t like the speed of other drivers, interfering with traffic flow is also unsafe driving behavior.”

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Connecticut Truck Driver Who Staged Drowning With Daughter to Flee Fraud Sentencing Sentenced to 57 Months — Collected $370,000 in Benefits While Working Full-Time

By
Kristina
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HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT — A former Connecticut truck driver who spent more than two decades collecting disability, food stamps, and unemployment benefits he was not entitled to — all while working full-time under a stolen identity — received a 57-month federal prison sentence on March 9, 2026. The case took a dramatic turn when he staged his own drowning to flee justice.

U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver sentenced Ricardo Santiago, 60, of Hartford, to 57 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Santiago must also pay $371,686 in restitution and a $100 special assessment. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud on February 24, 2025.

The Sche me

Between 2002 and 2024, Santiago held jobs with more than 20 employers and earned over $580,000 in income. For part of that time, he worked as a truck driver with a commercial driver’s license. Throughout, he hid his employment from federal and state agencies by giving employers a Social Security number and card belonging to another person.

The fraud ran on three tracks simultaneously. Starting in September 2002, Santiago collected more than $316,000 in Retirement Survivors Disability Insurance benefits. He told the Social Security Administration he could not work due to disability. In 2017, he renewed those benefits, again claiming he remained disabled and had not worked in two years.

That same year, Santiago applied for food stamp benefits. He told the Connecticut Department of Social Services he earned no income. He collected more than $18,000 in SNAP purchases he was not entitled to.

Then, from April 2020 to February 2021, Santiago applied for unemployment insurance using another person’s Social Security number. He told the Connecticut Department of Labor he was unemployed but available and physically able to work. He collected more than $36,000 in payments he did not deserve.

The Fake Drowning

Santiago was arrested on May 7, 2024. After pleading guilty, he was released on bond awaiting sentencing. In September 2025, he staged his own drowning — and that of his 11-year-old daughter, Amelia — in the Connecticut River and attempted to flee. Authorities issued an Amber Alert for the child. Hartford Police located both Santiago and his daughter in Hartford on September 20, 2025. Santiago has been in custody ever since.

The investigation was conducted by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Agriculture OIG, the U.S. Department of Labor OIG, and the U.S. Department of Transportation OIG. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan J. Guevremont prosecuted the case.

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Truck Driver Pinned Under His Own Lowboy Trailer After Brakes Unexpectedly Release During Roadside Inspection — Firefighters Deploy Airbags and Bottle Jacks to Rescue Him

By
Kristina
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PORT CHESTER, NEW YORK — A tractor-trailer driver ended up pinned beneath his own lowboy trailer Wednesday after the truck’s brakes unexpectedly released while he was outside performing an inspection. Emergency crews had to use airbags and bottle jacks to lift the trailer and pull him free.

The incident happened on March 25 on Willett Avenue, between Terrace Avenue and Rectory Street in Port Chester. The driver had stepped outside to inspect the vehicle after it began malfunctioning. While he was on the ground, the brakes released. The truck moved and struck him. When Port Chester Fire Department crews arrived, they found him pinned underneath the lowboy trailer.

Port Chester Fire Department

Firefighters from Port Chester and a rescue unit from Purchase worked alongside police and EMS to stabilize the vehicle. They deployed airbags and bottle jacks to lift the trailer high enough to pull the driver to safety. He was transported to a hospital in critical but stable condition.

Village officials clarified that the incident was initially misreported. It did not involve a pedestrian struck by a moving vehicle.

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Florida Highway Patrol Crackdown Catches Truck Drivers Who Can’t Read Road Signs or Speak English — FMCSA Chief Says Up to Half Fail at Some Weigh Stations

By
Kristina
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Photo credit: Fox News Channel

NORTH FLORIDA — Florida Highway Patrol troopers pulled truck drivers out of service during a recent enforcement crackdown in North Florida. Some drivers could not read basic road signs. Others could not communicate in English at all. Cameras captured the encounters during a Fox News ride-along with federal safety officials.

During one stop, a trooper asked a driver how well he spoke English. The driver responded in Spanish. When asked if he could speak any English, he said simply, “No.” In another encounter, a trooper asked a driver what a road sign meant. The driver responded, “No.” The trooper asked what drivers should do if they saw the sign. The driver again said, “No.”

FHP Master Trooper Craig Lents explained why English proficiency matters at highway speeds. “I try to concentrate on the signs they have to read,” Lents said. “If you are going down the road at 70 miles per hour, and you see that sign, you only see it for a split second.”

Troopers said up to half of truckers at some Florida weigh stations cannot meet English proficiency requirements.

FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs accompanied troopers during the inspections. He stressed that English proficiency is not a new requirement. “It’s been the law for a long period of time,” Barrs said. “It’s a safety issue. If there was a crash or something like that, I would want to make sure that driver would know how to respond — slow down for upcoming traffic or a crash that has happened up ahead.”

Photo credit: Fox News Channel

The Cases Behind the Crackdown

The enforcement push follows a string of deadly crashes involving drivers DHS says were in the country illegally or held CDLs they should never have received.

In Florida, Harjinder Singh — an illegal immigrant from India who allegedly entered the U.S. illegally and obtained a CDL in California — faces three counts of vehicular homicide. Authorities say he made an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike through an “Official Use Only” access point in St. Lucie County, blocking all lanes and triggering a crash that killed three people. His brother, Harneet Singh, 25, also an illegal immigrant from India, was a passenger in the truck at the time.

In Oregon, another illegal immigrant from India, Rajinder Kumar, allegedly jackknifed his tractor-trailer and blocked both lanes of U.S. Highway 20. A Subaru Outback crashed into the truck, killing driver William Micah Carter and passenger Jennifer Lynn Lower. DHS says Kumar entered the U.S. illegally near Lukeville, Arizona and obtained a CDL in California. He faces charges of criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangering.

 

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Wyalusing Bridge Closed After Tractor-Trailer Hauling Excavator Strikes Structure — PennDOT Inspecting Integrity 

By
Kristina
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0

WYALUSING, PENNSYLVANIA — The Rainbow Bridge on Wyalusing New Albany Road is closed after a tractor-trailer hauling an excavator struck the bridge Tuesday evening. PennDOT inspection teams are assessing the structural integrity of the bridge on Wednesday, March 25.

The crash occurred at 5:22 p.m. on March 24. The tractor-trailer attempted to cross the Rainbow Bridge, which carries Wyalusing New Albany Road over the Susquehanna River in Wyalusing Township. The top of the excavator struck the bridge during the crossing. Emergency crews and PennDOT representatives responded to the scene.

“At this time, the bridge will be closed overnight pending PennDOT inspection teams evaluating the integrity of the bridge,” Bradford County Department of Public Safety officials said. “The exact length of time the bridge will be closed is not clear at this time.”

Wyalusing New Albany Road between Route 187 and Route 6 remains closed as of Wednesday morning. Due to the bridge’s proximity to Wyalusing High School, PennDOT contacted school officials to evaluate transportation needs and alternate routes.

Drivers needing to cross the river can use crossings in Wysox or Laceyville. PennDOT has put a detour in place using Route 6 and Route 187. Additional information will be released following Wednesday’s inspection.

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Truck Driver Cited for Endangering Emergency Personnel After Tractor-Trailer Hits South Carolina Trooper’s Patrol Car on I-95 Shoulder

By
Kristina
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DORCHESTER COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA — A tractor-trailer driver struck a marked South Carolina Highway Patrol vehicle on the shoulder of Interstate 95 early Tuesday morning. The trooper walked away uninjured. The truck driver went to the hospital.

The crash happened at approximately 3:21 a.m. on March 24 on northbound I-95 near mile marker 75, between Saint George and Reevesville. The trooper had pulled onto the shoulder to assist a disabled vehicle. A passing tractor-trailer then struck the patrol car. The Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office called the trooper’s survival fortunate, given the damage to the vehicle. The truck driver sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital.

The Sheriff’s Office Traffic Unit investigated and cited the truck driver for endangering emergency services personnel. Investigators called the crash entirely preventable.

“This crash was entirely preventable and serves as a critical reminder to all motorists. When you see emergency vehicles on the side of the road, you are required by law to move over. If it is not safe to do so, you must slow down,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “These actions save lives.”

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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Idaho Becomes Latest State to Equalize Speed Limits for Trucks and Cars — Governor Signs Bill Allowing Semis to Do 80 MPH on Interstates 

By
Kristina
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0

BOISE, IDAHO — Idaho Governor Brad Little signed House Bill 664 into law on Monday, March 23, 2026. Starting July 1, semi trucks and passenger vehicles will share the same 80 mph speed limit on Idaho interstates. The separate lower limit for commercial trucks is gone.

Supporters pushed the bill on safety grounds. Research cited in the legislation found that a 10 mph speed difference between vehicles increases dangerous highway interactions by as much as 227%. The argument: speed differential, not speed itself, creates the real danger.

What Truck Drivers Are Saying

Arvel, a long-haul trucker who logs more than 3,000 miles a week on a route from Ohio to Idaho, told Idaho News 6 the change will smooth out traffic flow. He described the current dynamic on Idaho interstates.

“I’m doing 70, he’s doing 65 — I go to get over — and this car is coming up probably doing 80, 85 mph. Now, they’re hopping in the right lane to go around you because they think you cut them off,” Arvel said. “In the states that I’m driving through that have everybody doing the same speed limit, it’s much smoother.”

Arvel also noted the law won’t affect every truck. Many carriers install engine governors that cap speeds at 65 to 68 mph. Those drivers will stay in the right lane regardless of the posted limit.

“Some of these trucks are governed to about 65 to 68 miles an hour. The guys who are stuck at those governed miles, they pretty much stay in the right lane,” Arvel said. “I don’t believe any of the trucks should be going over 80 miles per hour. I feel like 80 should be the cap.”

What Everyday Drivers Are Saying

Not everyone is on board. Idaho drivers pushed back on social media when asked about the change.

“Don’t think it is a good idea! They usually go over the speed limit anyways, but it is very scary when they go that fast,” one person said.

“I really hope they rethink what they are about to do. It will be a dangerous choice to be on the road with a fully loaded trailer doing 80 mph coming up on you from any direction. I’ve been in their blind spot — at 80 you lose big reaction time. I’ll pray for everyone,” another wrote.

A third driver offered a different take. “So now a truck doing 79 is going to be passed by a truck doing 80. The problem with the speed difference is pulling out to pass and camping in the left lane. Keep the trucks in the right lane and enforce their speed limit,” they said.

House Bill 664 takes effect July 1, 2026.

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Dual Wheels Break Off Semi Trailer, Cross Center Divider, and Slam Into Van Carrying Six Women on Ladies’ Getaway — CHP Says Driver’s Composure Prevented Rollover

By
Kristina
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0

GLENN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA — Six women returning from a ladies’ getaway in Mount Shasta narrowly avoided a catastrophic crash on March 23, 2026, when a set of dual wheels broke off a northbound big rig trailer, crossed the center divider, and slammed into their southbound van. The driver’s calm response likely saved everyone inside.

CHP’s Willows Division described the moment the wheels departed the trailer and rolled directly into oncoming traffic. The women — friends from various locations across the United States and Mexico — saw the wheels coming straight at them. The impact was severe. Despite the force of the collision, the driver held her line, kept control of the van, and steered it safely to the shoulder.

CHP credited her composure for keeping the injuries minor. “Her ability to resist the urge to yank the wheel to the side likely prevented the loss of control and rollover we so often see as people oversteer in reaction to an imminent crash,” CHP said. “Her ability to maintain control kept the injuries to the occupants of the van minor in nature.”

The investigation into how the wheels separated from the trailer is ongoing.

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New Jersey Public Works Supervisor Indicted for Using County Fuel Access Code to Steal Nearly $80,000 in Diesel for His Private Trucking Company Over Two Years

By
Kristina
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MAYS LANDING, NEW JERSEY — A New Jersey man used his position as a county public works supervisor to steal nearly $80,000 worth of diesel fuel from Atlantic County and funnel it into his private trucking company’s fleet. A grand jury has now indicted him on second-degree charges.

On March 10, 2026, an Atlantic County Grand Jury indicted Joseph Jenkins-Ridley, 48, of Mays Landing, on second-degree charges of Official Misconduct, Theft, and Conspiracy. The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office accused him of orchestrating and leading a large-scale diesel fuel theft operation.

How the Scheme Worked

Jenkins-Ridley held two roles at the same time. He worked as a supervisor in the Roads and Bridges Division of the Atlantic County Department of Public Works. He also owned Z5 Logistics LLC, a private New Jersey trucking company. Jenkins-Ridley used his county access to direct Z5 employees to fuel company trucks at county-owned fuel pumps — almost daily — starting in March 2023. The theft continued for more than two years before investigators caught on.

How It Unraveled

In May 2025, Atlantic County Fleet Management staff spotted a large box truck fueling at the county-owned station in Northfield. When staff approached, the truck sped away. That incident triggered an investigation. Investigators uncovered that Jenkins-Ridley had provided his county fuel access code to Z5 employees.

On June 2, 2025, detectives caught Z5 employees fueling company trucks at the Atlantic County fuel site without authorization. Officers arrested three employees on the spot — Zakar Ridley, 26, of Mays Landing; Jason Meredith, 34, of Absecon; and Corey Smith, 27, of Pleasantville — each on disorderly persons theft charges. Jenkins-Ridley was also arrested that same day.

 

The total amount of fuel stolen came to just under $80,000, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office. Chief Assistant Prosecutor Kathleen Robinson is representing the State. The Professional Standards and Accountability Unit conducted the investigation.

Anyone with information about serious crimes in Atlantic County can contact the Prosecutor’s Office at 609-909-7800 or submit a tip anonymously at ACPO.Tips. Crime Stoppers can also be reached at 609-652-1234 or 1-800-658-8477.

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Crashed Tofu-Hauling Semi Finally Getting Cleaned Up After Insurance Runaround — Rotting Tofu Smell Frustrates Locals as Truck Sits in Missouri Creek for Three Weeks

By
Kristina
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0

JEROME, MISSOURI — A semi truck crashed into a creek off Interstate 44 near Jerome on March 1. It has sat there for three weeks. The air reeks of rotting tofu. Nearby residents are fed up. As of Tuesday morning, March 24, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources says cleanup will finally begin Tuesday evening.

What Happened

The truck left I-44 at exit 172 and came to rest in a creek running directly into the Gasconade River. First responders contained an oil leak immediately after the crash. The truck and its load of now-rotting tofu, however, stayed put. MoDOT replaced the damaged guardrail at exit 172 shortly after. The truck itself never moved.

Why It’s Taking So Long

The holdup comes down to money. MoDOT and the carrier’s insurance company are still working out who pays for what. Local towing companies estimate the removal alone will cost around $25,000. A Rolla-based towing company will assist with the cleanup. MoDOT warns it will be a lengthy process.

DNR says workers already removed fuel from the truck’s tanks. The agency does not expect serious environmental effects from tofu leaking into the waterway. It will continue to monitor the situation and act if anything changes.

Fire District Speaks Out

The Doolittle Rural Fire Protection District has grown frustrated waiting for answers — and reimbursement. The district took to Facebook to address residents driving past the scene daily.

“For those of you who drive by this everyday and wonder to yourself ‘why is this still sitting here 3 weeks after the crash’, you are not alone,” the district wrote. “We have been in contact with MODOT and they have stated that their team is working on it with the insurance company for the carrier. This is a very costly cleanup, and from what we have gathered, it has been a logistical nightmare. We have been given the runaround while attempting to recoup the costs that our department endured during the response and initial cleanup.”

The district also confirmed that MoDOT’s statewide safety and emergency management director is working alongside the Missouri State Highway Patrol and other state agencies on the removal. They also passed along a note for curious drivers: “In case you were wandering, tofu tends to stink pretty bad after sitting out for three weeks!”

The cause of the crash has not been released.

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