A truck driver’s rodeo in Washington state Photo: Washington State Department of Transportation
By Lee Burnett
A man from Sanford is accused of stealing thousands of dollars from students on promises that he could provide a secure path to a commercial driver’s license, then failed to even register them for an on-road test.
Paul A Rumery, 50, of 28 Sugar Hill Road, faces eight charges – seven counts of theft by deception and one of providing truck driving instruction without being licensed by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
The details of the operation are laid out in an eight-page affidavit and arrest warrant on file in Biddeford District Court.
Rumery apparently provided instructions through companies that employ truck drivers. He once worked for Hannaford Supermarkets training drivers and where he had access to an online portal to register students for on-road tests, according to the affidavit. He later lost that job but secured students through Thyng Paving of Biddeford, Eastman Excavating of North Berwick, MD Rental of Arundel and others. He charged approximately $2,800 per student, which was several thousand dollars less than instruction at programs licensed by BMV, “which was an incentive to go through his class,” according to the affidavit.
A tip from Ron Vance, owner of GoDriving school in Saco, launched the investigation. Vance claimed to have lost business to Rumery. On June 7, 2024, a BMV employee confronted Rumery, requesting that he stop providing instruction and advising him of the process to obtain instructor certification through BMV. On Sept. 5, a BMV detective interviewed Rumery and issued a summons to appear in court. On both occasions, according to the affidavit, Rumery promised to stop.
Students started coming forward in late 2025 after their learners’ permits had expired without being scheduled for an on-road test.
On Sept. 11, 2025, Charlene Plante of Sanford told the detective she started taking classes in May or June 2024 and had obtained a learner’s permit, but it expired before she could be scheduled for an on-road test. She told the detective she originally wanted a refund and “not for anyone to get in trouble.” She later conducted a recorded phone call with Rumery but “he did not pay her back the money.”
Other complainants had similar stories.
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