South Dakota trucking company, driver declared imminent hazards to public safety
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has declared a Mitchell, South Dakota-based trucking company, Lonnie Roth, and separately its owner, Lonnie Roth, as a commercial driver, to be imminent hazards to public safety and ordered the company and the driver to immediately cease all interstate and intrastate commercial operations.
In October 2014, FMCSA safety investigators completed a compliance investigation of the Lonnie Roth trucking company that resulted in an unsatisfactory safety rating. Serious violations of federal regulations were found during the investigation, including dispatching a driver known to have an alcohol concentration of 0.04 or greater, failing to implement a random testing program of drivers for controlled substances and alcohol use, and failing to ensure that its drivers complied with federal hours-of-service regulations designed to prevent fatigue, including limitations on daily driving and maximum on-duty hours. A federal order requiring the company cease operations became effective December 28, 2014.