Semi Truck Drives Wrong Way for Miles

What happened

A commercial semi was filmed driving the wrong way on Highway 61 north of Troy, Missouri, for several miles before officers stopped it. A motorist nearly had a head on collision and followed the truck until law enforcement intervened. No deaths were reported, but an 80 ton vehicle going the wrong direction is the sort of mistake that could become a catastrophe in seconds.

Seen on video

Short clips posted to X show the truck moving southbound in the northbound lane and a car veering to avoid a collision. Other footage shows officers pulling the rig over and the driver attempting to hide his face. The raw video makes the event hard to spin away and gives the public direct evidence of how close this came to serious harm.

Driver identity and license

Missouri officials took the driver out of service and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the driver held a Minnesota commercial driver license. Reports claim the driver had trouble reading basic road signs. A valid license on paper does not always mean a safe driver on the road, so paperwork should be only the start of safety checks, not the end.

Agency response

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is investigating the carrier, Cargo Transportation LLC, while local police handled the immediate stop. Officials issued statements promising investigation and enforcement. Promises are what agencies issue quickly; thorough fixes usually arrive slowly. The key questions are how the carrier screened this driver and what oversight gaps allowed a heavy truck to travel that way for miles.

Why systems matter

This incident highlights system failures more than a single human error. How did a questionable operator keep driving on a public highway for so long? Are language, training, and on-road checks strong enough for cross state commerce? Expect press statements and slow corrective steps. Meanwhile people on the road count on timely enforcement to prevent near misses from turning into tragedies.

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