A Houston-based carrier said by federal regulators to be "egregiously noncompliant" has been placed out of service after one of its drivers crashed and died earlier this month.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) this week declared 4 Life Transport Corporation an “imminent hazard” to public safety and ordered the Houston-based motor carrier to immediately cease all interstate and intrastate operations.
FMCSA explains:
On Feb. 7, 2022, a driver operating for 4 Life Transport crashed in Utah and was killed. That driver and the commercial motor vehicle he was operating were previously associated with Adversity Transport, Inc., another Houston-based motor carrier that FMCSA had placed out-of-service as an Imminent Hazard on Jan. 25.
An FMCSA review of 4 Life Transport, initiated the day its connection to Adversity Transport, Inc. was discovered, found the motor carrier to be egregiously noncompliant with multiple federal safety regulations, including:
- Controlled Substances and Alcohol Use and Testing (49 CFR Part 382)
- Commercial Driver’s License Standards (49 CFR Part 383)
- Driver Qualification (49 CFR Part 391)
- Driving of Commercial Motor Vehicles (49 CFR Part 392)
- Parts and Accessories Necessary for Safe Operations (49 CFR Part 393)
- Hours of Service of Drivers (49 CFR Part 395)
- Vehicle Inspection, Repair, and Maintenance (49 CFR Part 396)
4 Life Transport’s vehicle out-of-service rate is 100%, compared to a national average of 21%, and its driver out-of-service rate is 67%, compared to a national average of 6%. 4 Life Transport fails to ensure its vehicles are safe, and multiple roadside inspections revealed vehicle maintenance problems including unsafe tires. The company also fails to ensure its drivers are qualified and drive safely – for example, its drivers have been cited for speeding and driving with a suspended license – and it fails to ensure its drivers comply with hours of service limits and recording requirements.
The Agency’s imminent hazard out-of-service order states that 4 Life Transport’s “…complete and utter disregard for the [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.”
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FMCSA Acting Administrator Robin Hutcheson commented, “Safety is FMCSA’s top priority, and there is never a more urgent task for the Agency than removing an imminent hazard motor carrier such as 4 Life from our Nation’s roadways.”
Failing to comply with the Federal imminent hazard order may result in civil penalties of up to $28,142 for each violation. 4 Life Transport may also be assessed civil penalties of not less than $11,256 for providing transportation in interstate commerce without operating authority registration and up to $15,876 for operating a CMV in interstate commerce without USDOT Number registration. Knowing and/or willful violations may result in criminal penalties.
