Regardless of how you may feel about the FMCSA’s attempts to regulate trucking companies and drivers, when they take a carrier off the road, the carrier almost always really is an imminent risk to public safety. So what happens when a carrier receives a shut down notice and then just keeps on trucking?
Apparently we’re about to find out.
E & K Trucking, a trucking company based out of Colorado, received its shut down order December of 2012… but seems to have decided just to ignore it. The FMCSA has issued a second out of service order and told the company that it could face additional fines of up to $25,000 and even possibly criminal charges that could result in jail time if they don’t shut their doors this time.
“Our safety regulations protect everyone who shares the road with large trucks and buses,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. “The safe condition of the vehicle and the qualifications of the driver are the responsibility of the company. Company owners that cannot or will not abide by the safety regulations will find their business shut down while facing civil, and possibly criminal, penalties.”
The infractions the E & K Trucking has been cited for are numerous and include failure to conduct background checks on driver and failure to inspect, maintain, or repair their vehicles. The state of their vehicles was so bad in fact that every single one of the vehicles that was inspected was deemed unfit and unsafe to operate.
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Source: Fleetowner
Image Source: tribune
Boots on every one of E&Ks Tractors.
crap companies like E & K is why were dealing with these BS hos rules
Im just waiting for a company I worked for to get shutdown for good. I got stopped about once a week and the owner wouldn’t fix anything. I was home every night and made really good money with no experience. But what finally did it for me was I got shut down 3 hours away from the house. I called my boss and he told me to give it an hour and get back on the road. I said hell no I’ll give it 3 hours because that’s how long it will take my wife to get here to pick me up.
I am in total agreement with this story.The only part I don’t understand is these rules are supposed to protect the common Joe from the likes of a nasty truck driver.Well in that case then as I see it all them common Joes should go back to school and learn some common courtesy. On a two lane stretch on road going in the same direction has anyone ever tried to change lanes to pass.Those a holes in the four wheeler coming up along side of you will accelerate just so you don’t get in front of them. then as you have lost your power there isn’t any sense pulling out now ,but I’m catching up to the truck in front of me going about 2 mph gotta should change lanes while there is no on behind me and as I am pulling out there is one of them four wheelers coming at about 90 in a 65 and his vision is focused on tunnel vision . You pull out ,not exactly in front of him but he has a distance there . I pass the slow truck and just as I am pulling back into the right lane there he is trying to pass on the right because I am holding him up.He backs off ,sometimes,then goes around on the left and as he is passing he swerves in front of you,slams on the brakes, sticks his entire left arm out of the window and give you that high sign to the fact that you are the best driver he has ever seen. Are these the same people that this article is talking about that we should be safety minded around?
I agree with Enis but a lot of this was brought upon us by the American Trucking Industry and Insurance Companies.
It matters not how may rules and regulations they stick on us. It matters not how deep the back ground checks go nor what kind of truck you drive or who you drive for. There will always be the few drivers that drive the truck like they do their car. There will always be those that lack common sense and road courtesy and there is no test for that. studies have shown that 85% to 88% of all car truck accidents are caused by the car driver. In light of these facts the government is not going to go after the real reason for accidents. It will go after the big bucks. It is easier to go after a few of the 3 million licensed CDL holders and their employers. .Trucking companies have more money than the persons in their car. The government knows that truckers do not stick together and assume that they don’t vote. Lets face it. Based on the trucks some owner operators drive they look like a million dollar trucks and assume that all truckers must have money to drive something like that. The same mentality of many inspectors , more so govt inspectors “in name only” for finding a bad brake on a truck they think every truck in that company is bad or every driver is bad because someone made a mistake on a log sheet.
Considering that new trucks today set up like an O/O is nearly $200,000 now and get really bad fuel mileage and are in the sop more so than the Pre DEF .The trucking industry is going to be in a world of hurt soon and this country is going to pay dearly. Our politicians could care less as long as they continue to sit in DC with the golden parachute retirement and medical.