Mark Szakonyi, Associate Editor | May 16, 2012 3:23PM EDT
Federal regulators shut down an Alabama-based trucking company after finding the carrier violated rules regarding hours-of-service rules, driver qualifications and vehicle maintenance.
BM&L Trucking and affiliated company IDM Transportation is the fourth motor carrier the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has shut down in the last four months for safety violations. Investigators found that BM&L didn’t conduct pre-employment drug screenings of its drivers, and the carrier operated vehicles with serious mechanical defects.
"This case is an example of our resolve to raise the bar for commercial vehicle and roadway safety,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. “There is no place on our roads for commercial truck companies and drivers that do not make safety a top priority.”
Investigators also found that BM&L Trucking didn’t require drivers to “timely prepare and submit records of duty status,” as required through HOS rules. This type of negligence can result in truck operators becoming fatigued because of excess driving, FMCSA said.
“When commercial truck companies and their drivers disregard the safety rules of the road, they place all motorists at risk,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “We will continue to exhaust every available tool to identify and swiftly shut down unsafe truck companies.”
Contact Mark Szakonyi at mszakonyi@joc.com. Follow him on Twitter @szakonyi_joc.
