Beltway Trucker Piled Up Citations

License Pulled By 2 States Before Fatal Accident

Before Roger C. Scofield Jr.'s tractor-trailer crashed into the back of a car on the Capital Beltway last month, the trucker had spent years crisscrossing at least seven states: Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Scofield racked up traffic citations in each of those states and convictions in at least two, court records show. The citations include speeding, careless driving, inattentive driving, driving with defective brakes and driving on a suspended license.

The fact that Scofield was on the road March 19, driving on a suspended license in the late-night accident in Prince George's County that left one man dead and two injured reflects the challenges of enforcing driving standards and trucking regulations across state lines.

"It's frightening to think that people like Scofield and others are out there," said attorney Ron Karp, who filed a wrongful-death suit last week against the driver and his employer. "There are people behind the wheels of trucks that just shouldn't be, and it's becoming a national epidemic."

Through a family member, Scofield, 54, contacted at a residence listed for him in Denton, Md., declined to comment for this report. He is facing charges of reckless driving and driving with a suspended license in the Beltway accident. A vehicular homicide charge is possible depending on the outcome of the accident investigation.

An executive with B.K. Trucking, the New Jersey company that hired Scofield to deliver a load of bananas in Virginia that day, said Scofield did not know his license was suspended at the time. He added that Scofield's driving record had nothing to do with the crash.

"It was basically just being at a bad place at a bad time. It was simply an accident," said a man who identified himself as Joe Smith, B.K. Trucking's safety manager, during a recent interview at the company's headquarters in Newfield. "Everybody, of course, feels bad over the situation because of the seriousness of the fatality. But driving on the suspended license was not the reason the accident happened."

Duane DeBruyne, a spokesman for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said he could not comment on a specific company's record. But he said that trucking companies are legally obligated to check a driver's background.

"If a company has operating authority from the U.S. Department of Transportation and they are not vigilant in checking their employees and making sure they have valid driver's licenses, the companies are the ones we're going to go after," DeBruyne said.

Smith gave varying accounts of what B.K. knew about his driving record. He said the company checked his driving record when it hired him as a subcontractor about eight months ago and found no cause for concern. The company checks its drivers' records annually, Smith said.

"We've been here 30 years," he said. "This isn't some ragtag outfit. Our trucks are clean and well maintained. There was no willful neglect on anyone's part."

The March 19 accident occurred about 11 p.m. on the outer loop of the Beltway north of Route 1. Police said Scofield's tractor-trailer hit a 1995 Honda Accord from behind and then hit two other cars that were in front of the Honda: a 1994 Acura Integra that was moving slowly with its hazard lights on and a 1996 Nissan Altima, driven by Jose Marcos Portillo Villalta.