Obama administration closes unsafe trucking companies at brisk pace (7/19)
“Reincarnated” carriers remain a concern
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced today that in the last two years, the Obama Administration has issued as many imminent hazard orders placing unsafe bus and truck companies out of service as in the previous 10 years combined. The DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has cracked down on unsafe carriers through surprise inspections, full compliance reviews, and enforcement actions.
Between 2000 and 2009, FMCSA issued a total of 14 imminent hazard orders placing unsafe carriers out of service. In the last two years, FMCSA issued another 14 imminent hazard orders to take carriers that pose an immediate risk to passengers off the road. One example cited: last month the DOT issued an imminent hazard order to a Michigan company found to be transporting passengers in luggage compartments -- at great risk to passengers.