Update: The FMCSA has announced that Land-Air has been reinstated to a “conditional” rating and has been allowed to resume normal operations.
An Out-Of-Service order has been issued to what is possibly the largest carrier ever to receive a safety-related OOS order. Land-Air Express of New England has 330 trucks and employs 340 drivers, all of whom have had nothing to do but sit around and wait since the OOS order was issued on December 29th.
The carrier, an LTL provider with 13 terminals in the Northeast, received a “proposed unsatisfactory” rating from the FMCSA after it was inspected 10,963 times and received 628 OOS orders over a period of 9 months.
When the “proposed unsatisfactory” rating was issued, the carrier was given 60 days to submit a plan to the FMCSA to implement “corrective actions” which would prevent the carrier from receiving an “unsatisfactory” safety rating. Since Land-Air did not submit a plan of action at all, the agency downgraded their safety rating and placed the whole carrier out of service.
Land-Air appealed the rating and has asked the FMCSA to reverse the decision.
Update: The FMCSA has announced that Land-Air has been reinstated to a “conditional” rating and has been allowed to resume normal operations under a stricter set of safety requirements.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the shutdown order came as a result of numerous drug and alcohol testing violations including failure to conduct random alcohol testing and failing to conduct tests for alcohol and controlled substances after accidents.
Source: overdrive, wabi, mpbn, wsj
Image: depositphoto
So it was for lack of testing, not lack of safety. I can see why the FMCSA backpedalled.
330 units in the north east? (BTW, “New England” is not a town, or a state, so that’s kind of a vague descriptor)
Two things come to mind that kinda make me chuckle and wonder if it was the REAL reason why the FMCSA backpedaled:
1.) drivers probably made almost as much money on unemployment as they would driving, as soon as the states realized they’d have to shell out $1,360,000-$2,720,000 (PER MONTH!) in legitimate unemployment claims, they probably started screaming at the FMCSA to reverse the charge.
2.) since few companies operate extensively in the NE (and LTL at that!) there were probably millions of dollars in cancelled shipments racking up overnight. Even UPS & FedEx probably couldn’t cover the tonnage on such short notice.
Also the fact that the whole thing revolves around drug testing makes me suspect it was a trumped up charge to begin with. I bet they’ll try this stunt again, just not in such a small niche market.
Thats what they get, follow the rules…
What because they are a big company they don’t have to play by the rules, they should be placed oos till they comply. Plain and simple.
So they got checked approximately 39 times a day, for 9 months? Sounds like nit picking and harassment. There has to be more to this story.
That’s what I was thinking and that’s a lot of inspections
“after it was inspected 10,963 times and received 628 OOS orders over a period of 9 months.”
Obviously the owner contributed to the wrong political party.
That *does* sound like harassment. With only 330 trucks, 10963 checks means DOT was pulling these guys off of the road to inspect them just a little less than once per week.
Either their equipment was absolutely horrible, to draw that kind of attention, or someone was trying to create a problem.
I feel bad for their drivers. Once you get on with a carrier like that, and start picking up citations, it’s hard to get out, to a carrier with better equipment (or less targeted scrutiny), so you wind up being forced to keep going with the place that has problems, or quit and lose the income that may or may not be supporting your family. Other carriers won’t want to pick you up, with citations on your record from the problem company.
Like many things about being a truck driver, it can be a vicious trap for drivers, set up by the carriers and the DoT – as usual, in the name of the safety that it does not serve.
it is about time. Have you ever seen those trucks on the road. No regard for the law or other people. Always speeding acting like they are special.
Do the math. 10,963 inspections in 9 months.
Air freight guys are just as renegade as the port and postal workers. But generally speaking FMCSA cant harass port and postal operations because of intra authority and politics. Congrats FMCSA. You swung your balls and showed us all. All be it, seriously there were some obvious violations.
Obviously another company that just doesn’t care. They were given 60 days to submit a plan of action to improve safety but ignored it. How many other things are they ignoring? Some companies just don’t belong in business. I am a company of 1- me. I recieve reminder letters from the fmcsa for various things that I must do or update. I would never dream of just blowing them off. Good job giving these clowns a wake up call.
So you have everybody pee in the cup.. Those that pass back to work.. Those that dont.. Go down the road.. With 340 drivers the drug test company would go to the different locations and give almost instant test results.. At least that would get them rolling down the road… Then start random and post accident testing monitored by the DOT.
This company has a terminal near where I live. From all I hear they were good paying jobs. However if you look at the scab equipment they operate its no wonder they got inspected a lot. I feel bad for the drivers. Many have families to support. The responsibility lies on this carrier. Just looking at one facility and the equipment they operate is enough to keep me away. Just my opinion.
I also know the company and have delivered fuel to a couple of their locations, one being in Vermont, the other in Orange County, NY for years.
While unloading I get the opportunity to visually inspect the tractors, not even the trailers. Not really all that fussy about appearance, cleanliness, or image I will say. The trucks in both terminals were just plain “ratty” looking, never washed, grease and grime splattered all over the back of the cabs from the U Joints throwing it out, etc.
Part of operating a good trucking company is the little bit of “pride” that should be taken in your equipment’s appearance. If you look like a second-rate outfit…you’ll most likely be treated like one during an inspection. If everything appears clean upon entering the inspection, 9 times out of 10 (unless there’s a premeditated reason for stopping you,) you’ll be waved on through without hassle. It’s worked for me since 1978…
If you pull into an inspection and the back window of a daycab tractor is so gummed up with grime that you need a putty knife to see out of it…you might be there a while. Just sayin’.
These drivers should be OOS. They drive up and down 95 like maniacs!!! Follow the rules like we have to!
10,963 TIMES IN 9 MONTHS??? See the pencil necks in the government waste a lot of money from the tax payer to repeat the obvious asinine efforts they did not have to . Just a few non-compliance after accident drug screens would have been sufficient.
Unfortunately drivers need to checkout companies they plan to apply to for safety ratings or they can get stuck with negs on their record because of inferior equipment. Just like the old days when vehicle fines were giving to the driver under his license, now it stays on his record. Any body know for how long?