The US Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has ordered Pleasant Grove UT-based Reliable Transportation Services Inc to immediately cease all transportation services, declaring the trucking company and its principal, Jay Zachary Barber, an imminent hazard to public safety.
The order follows an extensive DOT review of the refrigerated carrier’s operations, which found multiple hours-of-service, hazardous materials, drug and alcohol testing and vehicle maintenance violations, as well as a high occurrence of recent crashes.
“Safety is our top priority,” says Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Commercial trucking companies that blatantly disregard safety should not be on our roadways and will be shut down.”
FMCSA immediately shut down Reliable Transportation after safety investigators found hours-of-service and driver qualification violations that substantially increased the likelihood of serious injury or death to the traveling public, according to DOT officials. Investigators discovered that the company was using drivers with suspended or revoked commercial driver’s licenses (CDL) and operating without a driver drug and alcohol testing program. In addition, Reliable Transportation was transporting concealed hazardous materials loads without valid federal registration.
“This agency will continue to exhaust every resource within its legal authority to pursue and shut down unsafe trucking companies that place the public at risk,” says FMCSA Administrator Anne S Ferro. “Companies that refuse to adhere to federal safety rules will not be allowed to operate.”
A copy of the imminent hazard out-of-service order can be viewed at http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/documents/about/news/2012/reliable-transportation-services-shutdown-order.pdf.