Florida carrier shut down by FMCSA following crash that killed two

Updated Jan 21, 2022
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A small Florida carrier has been ordered by federal authorities to cease all operations as a result of a crash last year that left two people dead and nine others injured.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has declared West Palm Beach, Florida-based Professional Marine Hauler’s LLC, to be an “imminent hazard” to public safety and has ordered the company and its principals, Claudia Angeligue Abreu and Ariel Martinez, to immediately cease all interstate and intrastate operations. The company and principals were served the federal order on Jan. 14.

A statement from the FMCSA says on Nov. 9, 2021, Professional Marine Hauler’s was involved in a crash. FMCSA’s subsequent investigation revealed what the agency called "egregious levels of non-compliance and a complete failure of the carrier and its owners to implement any aspect of a safety management plan." This failure, according to the agency, resulted in a fatal crash, which was caused by a complete trailer brake system failure.

The agency said its compliance investigation found Professional Marine Hauler’s and Abreu and Martinez, operating CMVs with a total disregard for safety. A pattern of non-compliance was noted in the operation of several motor carriers operated by the carrier principals, including violations documented during roadside inspections and failed new entrant safety audits.  

According to the FMCSA, Abreu’s and Martinez’s disregard for safety resulted in unsafe vehicles operated in interstate commerce after the vehicles were placed out-of-service. The two company principals showed a total disregard for vehicle maintenance, driver qualifications, controlled substances & alcohol testing, hours of service and oversize/overweight limits for CMVs, according to the Agency. 

The FMCSA imminent hazard out-of-service order to Professional Marine Hauler’s and its principals as individuals states their “complete and utter disregard for ensuring compliance with federal safety regulations substantially increases the likelihood of serious injury or death for your drivers and the motoring public if your operations are not discontinued immediately.”