DMV’s commercial vehicle sweep nabs DMV Commissioner’s truck

Between July 7 and July 13 of this year, the Department of Motor Vehicles Commercial Vehicle Safety Division (CSDV) held its “annual weeklong driver-safety traffic enforcement initiative,” during which CSDV Inspectors performed 379 inspections , took 45 drivers and 89 vehicles off the road for violations, and arrested one fugitive from Pennsylvania, according to the DMV.

One of those 379 vehicles that were inspected, however, was a dump truck owned by T&T Concrete & Landscaping, LLC, a company owned by former long-time state representative turned DMV Commissioner Antonio “Tony” Guerrera, along with Joseph Guerrera, according to 2024 filings with the Secretary of State’s office.

On July 9, an inspector found five violations for T&T’s dump truck, including an expired medical examiner’s certificate for the driver, the USDOT number not displayed properly, no proof of an annual inspection, an inoperable lamp, and a missing mud flap.

The citations were generally not that serious and did not result in any fines, nor the vehicle or driver being taken off the road, but marks an instance when the DMV , tasked with enforcing US Department of Transportation regulations for commercial vehicles, bumped up against a business owned by the head of that agency.

State records show Guerrera was added as a member to T&T in 2014, became the sole owner in 2018, and then added Joseph Guerrera’s name to the company in 2019, the same year Guerrera left political office after losing a 2018 primary bid for state senate to Matthew Lesser, D-Middletown.

Reached for comment DMV Director of Communications Shaun M. Formica said Guerrera is “a small minority owner,” in T&T Concrete and Landscapes, and “has no role in the daily operation and management” of the company.

“The Commissioner has no personal involvement with the inspection process,” Formica said. “The agency operates impartially to ensure compliance with regulations and safeguarding the integrity of the inspection process.”

During his 18 years in the legislature, Guerrera became chair of the Transportation Committee and became the legislative face of Gov. Ned Lamont’s ill-fated and unpopular push to put tolls on Connecticut highways.

After losing his primary bid for State Senate to Lesser in 2018, Guerrera took the job of deputy DMV commissioner in 2019 and was then appointed as commissioner by Lamont in 2022, who said Guerrera was the ideal candidate to continue implementing efficiencies to reduce wait times at the department, which has historically been a source of frustration for Connecticut residents.

“I want to keep this momentum going,” Lamont said in a press release, “and I know that Tony Guerrera has the experience and determination to oversee this task.” Both positions came with six-figure salaries that will ultimately boost Guerrera’s state pension. As commissioner, he received $192,566 in 2023.

Guerrera praised the DMV’s inspection and enforcement numbers stemming from Operation Safe Driver Week.

“Our inspectors do a great job patrolling our highways, and I am proud of their accomplishments and the valuable contributions they make towards promoting public safety,” Guerrera said.

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