The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has ordered Gillette, Wyoming-based Bar D Bar Trucking to immediately cease all intrastate and interstate operations after a federal investigation found the carrier to pose an imminent hazard to public safety. Bar D Bar Trucking was served the order on March 11.
On March 8, Bar D Bar Trucking was subject to a federal compliance review investigation, according to the agency. FMCSA safety investigators said they found the company owner and operator Gregory Davis to be in violation of multiple federal safety regulations, including:
- Failing to conduct pre-employment background checks on drivers
- Failing to ensure drivers were qualified before dispatching them in commercial operations
- Failing to properly monitor drivers to ensure compliance with hours-of-service requirements
- Failing to conduct random drug and alcohol tests on drivers
- Using a driver who tested positive for controlled substance
- Failing to ensure that its vehicles were regularly inspected, maintained and repaired and that they met minimum safety standards
In addition, federal investigators said they found that Bar D Bar Trucking had continued to allow Davis to operate a commercial vehicle despite Davis not possessing a valid commercial driver’s license (CDL) and subject to a lifetime CDL disqualification.
“Bar D Bar Trucking’s continued use of unsafe vehicles and its failure to adequately oversee its drivers to ensure compliance with federal safety regulations substantially increases the likelihood of serious harm to its drivers and to the motoring public,” the agency said.
Violating an imminent hazard out-of-service order may result in a penalty of up to $25,000, operating without operating authority may result in a fine of not less than $10,000, and operating without a USDOT number may result in a civil penalty of up to $16,000. A violation of this order may also result in a criminal penalty, including a fine of up to $25,000 and imprisonment not to exceed one year.
A copy of the imminent hazard out-of-service order is at http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/newsroom/Bar-D-Bar-Trucking-IHOOS.
