The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued an effective shutdown order recently to a Massachusetts-based trucking company the agency says failed to maintain equipment and oversee its drivers.
J and J Transportation has been declared an imminent hazard to public safety and ordered to immediately shut down operations by the FMCSA after the company failed to produce certain records during a compliance review.
The compliance review was initiated after a J and J Transportation truck was involved in a single-vehicle fatal crash on Dec. 4. The post-crash investigation by New York State Police revealed multiple violations by the driver of hours-of-service regulations. The same driver had been cited for false records-of-duty status during roadside inspections on Oct. 20 and Dec. 2. During the compliance investigation, J and J couldn’t show it took any action following the two violations that its drivers complied with regulations.
FMCSA says in the February compliance review, the company either refused or was unable to produce the following:
- Vehicle maintenance records, including servicing schedules, or documentation showing the company had a vehicle maintenance program
- Drivers’ vehicle inspection reports or evidence that drivers conducted pre- and post-trip inspections
- Evidence that defects found in previous roadside inspections had been corrected before allowing the vehicle to be dispatched again
- Records for a majority of its drivers addressing driver qualification documentation, which led to the company dispatching multiple drivers with suspended CDLs
- Medical examiner’s certificates for its drivers
- Complete records-of-duty status for its drivers or supporting documents, such as fuel and toll receipts
- Records for a majority of its drivers showing they went through mandatory pre-employment controlled substance tests
FMCSA says J and J’s “continued use of unsafe vehicles and its failure to adequately oversee its drivers to ensure compliance with federal safety regulations substantially increases the likelihood of serious harm to its drivers and to the motoring public.”
