A Georgia trucking company has been placed out of service after an investigation found that it was a “chameleon carrier” which reincarnated under a new name due to being shut down for what the FMCSA called a “complete and utter lack of compliance.”
Daya Trucking, a carrier which operates 39 trucks, used to go by the name Ekam Truck Line. Back in 2017, Ekam entered into an agreement with the FMCSA to raise its safety rating from Unsatisfactory to Conditional. In exchange, the company promised to take specific steps to improve safety.
Among the issues the FMCSA found with Ekam Truck Line was that the company used non-compliant Automatic On-Board Recording Devices (AOBRDs) which allowed drivers to make manual changes to their driving records and odometer readings. According to the investigation, in just 2 months the AOBRD system recorded 4,802 hours of unidentified driving time because drivers had been unplugging their systems.
The company also failed to maintain proper inspection records, failed to conduct pre-employment drug screenings, and had their trucks placed out-of-service at a rate of 46 percent.
Instead of fixing the problems however, Ekam kept operating as it had been and again had its safety rating downgraded to Unsatisfactory in March.
That same month, the FMCSA received information that Ekam had started operating under the name Daya Trucking. In response, FMCSA has issued an out-of-service order for Daya and combined the safety records of the two companies.
Now the FMCSA will be able to issue multiple fines to the carrier. The owners have even opened themselves up to criminal prosecution if a court can determine that the violations were willful. A guilty verdict could mean fines of up to $25,000 and a one-year prison sentence.
Source: FMCSA, gobytrucknews, truckinginfo, overdrive
Go into Chicago. You would shut down 90 percent of the companies there.
Why Chicago!!! They’re everywhere specially the Russian companies
Aint that the truth
Your right
I hear ya. Probably closer to 95% of the fly-by-night carriers in Chicago & surrounding area. Not enough manpower. There’s way more small 6-8-10 truck ‘chameleon’ carriers who have no business driving a commercial truck pulling rental trailers operating than the authorities can nab. It’s a numbers game & sooner or later they get busted. Hopefully sooner. Meanwhile they pocket as much as they can & wire it 2 their ‘families’ overseas so they can come on over & do the same thing. What a country. It’s sickening.
And never pay the fines, and avoid prosecution/jail time by returning to the country of origin, and operate on identities stolen from employees – or even just applicants for employment… It goes on and on, and if the bureaucrats care enough to do something about it, it doesn’t show… :-/
I’m sitting at midway,,in efforts to find a good co.I came here..from ga.this company rls express, I talked yo this woman Diana, for over2 week..she NEVER mentioned1000.$fines,,if I just get a warning!!!
Was a a as
Expecting me to run4000mi plus a week..telling me legally..ain’t no way
All this info was laid on me yesterday, when I arrived,,wanted me to sign my rights away,,basically
Get out of there asap, don’t think it’s going to get better
These are the ones hurting the industry. At least they’re getting caught unfortunately we all know there are many more out there that need to be shut down
I can’t wait to get out the trucking business it’s to much of a headache if you are owner operator just getting started and now I want out
I know the company I work has drivers using trucks with no eld and turns them on and off when they want.
Safety man quit because of non compliance of eld and fmcsa rules
37 years it hasnt changed its just redirected to different ways to do it another corrupted way.companys want profit drivers want pay government wants theirs it made feel like a rabbit running from hunters