The trailer behind the truck that killed Glenda Sanders and four others had no brakes. The brake line was corroded. If the driver had inspected the trailer as required by the Department of Transportation, the DOT, he might have discovered the problem. Every year, everyone has to have our car or pickup inspected by a third party. But some truckers are allowed to do their own inspections.
All truckers have wide discretion in the matter.
DPS and the DOT are supposed to, but documents show they rarely do. The Motor Carrier Safety Division of the DOT regulates the largest trucking firms in Texas. DPS has the main responsibility for inspecting 35,000 smaller trucking firms in Texas. It visits only 700 of them a year. Gary Lindsay says it is basically a self-regulated industry.