Not everyone is cut out to be a Chameleon Carrier owner. You need a particular brand of stupidity to be shut down, reopen your company under a different name, and continue operating under the same unsafe conditions that got you put out of service in the first place. But it takes a truly idiotic mind to get shut down, reopen, get shut down again and sentenced to jail time, and then reopen again while serving your prison sentence.
Meet Devasko Lewis, who in 2008 was ordered to shut down Lewis Trucking Company after failing a compliance review that followed the carrier’s involvement in an accident that killed seven people. Lewis, undeterred by the massive loss of life, reopened the carrier under the name “DDL Transport” which, naturally, was also issued an out of service order.
For violating his shutdown order by opening DDL Transport, Lewis received a 90 day prison sentence to be followed by 12 months of supervised release. While he was in prison, Lewis coordinated with a man named Corey Daniels to reopen Lewis/DDL under two new names and obtained DOT numbers for Eagle Transportation and Eagle Trans using Daniels’ name and the names of friends, attempting to hide his own involvement from the authorities.
Daniels was found guilty of conspiring to violate imminent hazard out-of-service orders and received one year of probation.
During the initial 2008 investigation, when Lewis was asked to produce driver qualification records, logbooks, and other information for himself and his employees, an unrepentant Lewis said to FMCSA investigators “Y’all are just going to have to fine me or put me out-of-service ‘cause I don’t have nothing.”
Next Story: Highway Driver Fires On Three Truckers In Multiple Incidents
Source: overdrive, truckinginfo, thetrucker
ez says
more of these BLEEEEPS need to be locked up for some hard time.
jeff beyer says
This is the one they caught, like the chumps on COPS, the tv program.
what about the hundreds of carriers like this that never get caught.
L.J. Freeman says
The solution is for the guys moving the wheels down the road (the drivers) to expose these criminals… which in most cases means exposing them before they become criminals–when they’re committing criminal offenses but haven’t been caught, yet. If drivers weren’t complicit it wouldn’t be happening. Sure it might cost you a job, but consider; if you get all the bad guys put in jail or out of business, then all that’s left are the good guys. The amount of work will remain constant. The only variable is who will do the work… the good owners and drivers or the bad ones.
Thomas stucker says
Its not that easy. I turned a company in they decided they would say I had a dirty urine. Which is false but how do I prove different. Every company I have applied for won’t touch me over the lie. There is no way they can prove I had a dirty urine. I’ve talked to attorney. Well we can sue but I have to have money to sue. So yeah its not that easy
John Burleson says
Tom, if the urine test was misrepresented by your employer you have a whole federal, state and local government behind you. Those results are your property and whoever did the test must give you a copy of the results. That result, with the allegation against your employer, will create a fireworks show that would put D-Day to shame. Good luck, bro.
John Burleson
Joe Skeptical says
Trucking rewards the bad actor.
Thomas stucker says
No joke. This needs to happen more often. I worked for company that demanded u avoid scale houses. I quit. It’s my word against theres. They believe company does no wrong. Company is in 80% range due to poor maintenence and allowing people to drive with no cdl. But they are rich so it’s ok. Not to mention they demand u turn a 16 he trip in one setting. But dot dont really care get the driver for making a living.
Roadghost says
It just shows how insidious these guys are, almost like mafia. There are thousands of these crooks out there. Who knows what else they’re doing.
John Burleson says
HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY THIS?!??!! If your employer will not maintain his equipment properly, STOP AT THE NEXT DOT CHICKEN COOP AND ASK FOR AN INSPECTION. You will NOT be cited but the boss sure will. And if he wants his truck to roll again he will have to fix it. The last time I screwed some cheap bastard for bad tires he ended up pulling several thousand dollars out of where he normally had his head stuck. My trucks worked real good after that and I stayed with the jerk for a few years because he was not only up to snuff on the maintenance, he got real good with the bonuses he paid me. My name is John Burleson in case any employer wants an ID and I am not the least bit worried about your reaction. If you’re so greedy you don’t give a damn about your employees or the pubic, I’m coming for y0u. So are my brothers and sisters–the ones who’ve grown a pair.
Joe Skeptical says
A better solution is quit this scummy business.
Struggling says
Uhm…it is my belief that faulty equipment fails are also CSA points to the driver….
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§396.7 Unsafe operations forbidden.
(a) General. A motor vehicle shall not be operated in such a condition as to likely cause an accident or a breakdown of the vehicle.
§396.13 Driver inspection.
Before driving a motor vehicle, the driver shall:
(a) Be satisfied that the motor vehicle is in safe operating condition.
§ 393.75: Tires.
(a) No motor vehicle shall be operated on any tire that—
(1) Has body ply or belt material exposed through the tread or sidewall,
(2) Has any tread or sidewall separation,
(3) Is flat or has an audible leak, or
(4) Has a cut to the extent that the ply or belt material is exposed.
(b) Any tire on the front wheels of a bus, truck, or truck tractor shall have a tread groove pattern depth of at least 4⁄32 of an inch when measured at any point on a major tread groove. The measurements shall not be made where tie bars, humps, or fillets are located.
(c) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, tires shall have a tread groove pattern depth of at least 2⁄32 of an inch when measured in a major tread groove. The measurement shall not be made where tie bars, humps or fillets are located.
(e) A regrooved tire with a load-carrying capacity equal to or greater than 2,232 kg (4,920 pounds) shall not be used on the front wheels of any truck or truck tractor.
(f) Tire loading restrictions (except on manufactured homes).
==================
So it appears to me that you violated the law, specifically §396.13 and § 393.75:, by driving the truck off the lot with bad tires.
I would like you to elaborate on how “YOU” did not “GET CITED” when you rolled up at the inspection station with potentially 240 CSA points on the line [8 pts per tire x 10 tires x 3 weighted factor = 240 points].
Doug says
What makes you think that because you ask for an inspection at a scale house you won’t get get cited if they find anything wrong. They can still cite you, if you knew there where defects in the truck and drove it to the scale you still drove an unsafe truck. Sadly the regs don’t give a driver much recourse against a carrier that won’t fix equipment. Outside of park the truck and refuse to drive it, which you know if you are 2000 miles from home isn’t really a great option. I would love to see a whistleblower protection added to the regs for drivers who report equipment that the company refuse to fix, but its not gonna happen.
Tim says
Holy guacamole! That’s persistence!
Glenn E. Bindley says
When I first came out of Wichita Truck Driving School, I worked for an individual Willy ____, who ran under A Ray Trucking. I spent more time on the side of the road broke down for Tires, than I did driving. Talk about taking advantage of an individual I was only paid .23 cents per mile and that was only from State line to State line.
Wayne says
Obviously he thinks the prison sentence is a joke and the laws are joke. Give him a biblical jail sentence and no connection to the Outside