Federal Regulators Shut Down ‘Chameleon’ Trucker

[OntarioVanMan]

Hope they keep this up....

Federal Regulators Shut Down

Federal regulators last week shut down an Alabama trucking firm identified as a “chameleon” carrier set up to evade an earlier out-of-service order in May.

MTI Transportation was shut down after safety investigators found it was run by the owner of out-of-service carriers BM&L Trucking and IDM Transportation.

 

[guido4475]

Hope they keep this up....

Federal Regulators Shut Down

Federal regulators last week shut down an Alabama trucking firm identified as a “chameleon” carrier set up to evade an earlier out-of-service order in May.

MTI Transportation was shut down after safety investigators found it was run by the owner of out-of-service carriers BM&L Trucking and IDM Transportation.

This is true, glad to see bogus, non-compliant companies being shut down, one by one.Make the penalties extremely stiff for the owners who violate the laws and re-open under a new name.

Zero tolerance also should be given to the bus companies violating any rules and regulations.

 

[EasyDoesIt]

It is my understanding that prior to CSA a company that was shut down just opened under a new name for a cost of about $500. Now it is supposed to be extrermely hard and very expensive to reopen illegally under a new name. That seems like such a common sense approach that it makes me wonder how they can screw up the sleeper berth so bad. The safest thing to do is allow the driver to stop the 14 hour clock and take a nap.

 

[guido4475]

It is my understanding that prior to CSA a company that was shut down just opened under a new name for a cost of about $500. Now it is supposed to be extrermely hard and very expensive to reopen illegally under a new name. That seems like such a common sense approach that it makes me wonder how they can screw up the sleeper berth so bad. The safest thing to do is allow the driver to stop the 14 hour clock and take a nap.

Yes, you are absolutely correct.Let the drivers sleep when they need to.Educate the motoring public on how to drive safely around large trucks.Make it mandatory to suspend a license if caught texting or using a phone without a headset while driving.They need to get serious about this.It also amazes me how many drivers are STILL driving and talking without using a headset, especially trucks.And ticket the idiots who don't have enough common sense to keep their dog on the floor,or wherever, instead of on their lap, while driving.That is one of the most senseless things A pet owner can do out here.My dog stays on the floor, between the seats, away from my feet, or on the passenger seat while I am driving.Just my opinion, of course...

But the bus thing..I mean, they are transporting human lives..of all things..Extra care should be taken while doing this.Maybe a small, enclosed bunk area in the back of the bus, for the team driver to sleep, while the other is driving should be a rule, and mandatory.

 

[Brisco]

This right here is a Good Example of how CSA is helping in not only keeping Bad Carriers off the roads.....but also Bad Drivers off the roads too.

BM&L and IDM were owned by Isaac McWilliams. McWilliams managed and controlled MTI, owned by his brother Ollie McWilliams, the FMCSA said.

MTI operated trucks and employed drivers previously with BM&L and IDM from the same premises as the previous carriers, the agency said in its out-of-service order.

“MTI Transportation continues, in all significant aspects, the operations of BM&L,” the FMCSA said. MTI Transportation is a disguised reincarnation of BM&L.”

With CSA now keeping track of all Drivers citations and infractions, as well as the Carrier they were running under, it is making it easier for FMSCA to put 2 and 2 together, thus shutting down this company above.

Owner of Company got a rude awakening.......and was an idiot for trying to pull one over on FMSCA by keeping the idiot drivers that got him shut down in the first place.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

From what i hear and read CSA still has a few wrinkles that need to be addressed....in the end hopefully it will clear out the trash....

 

[xiggi]

I agree with shutting down companies that try to reopen just to skirt the law. Still the way it is written can make it very hard for someone related to open a legit company with assets from one that has been shut down.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using EO Forums

 

[Brisco]

From what i hear and read CSA still has a few wrinkles that need to be addressed....in the end hopefully it will clear out the trash....

Yep......It does........

Little Issues......Like negatively dinging a Drivers Record for 2 years over a Burnt Out marker light. Lights go out on trucks and trailers......Period. You can have a perfect PTI at 7 am in the morning, have a light suddenly go out going down the road at 7:42 am, get stopped for a Level 1 at 8:05 am, and have a Negative Ding on your CSA Score for 2 years over that 1 light.

Infractions like that I do not agree with. 4-5-6 Lights out on your truck or trailer.....write 'em up. 1 light.....Let 'em fix it right there in front of ya.....and then leave 'em alone. No reason to write that down on anything. (Remember......even if a Citation is not issued, but is still written down on the Level 1 Report, it goes against the Drivers Record)

 

[purgoose10]

From what i hear and read CSA still has a few wrinkles that need to be addressed....in the end hopefully it will clear out the trash....

And of course the CSA is a Government run operation. Do you really think the wrinkles will be ironed out??? LOL!

Another example of a small carrier going out of business owing a lot of people a lot of money, then turning around and opening up under another name with another partner. Hope that doesn't happen in the Expedite industry. lol!

 

[ATeam]

There is a difference between shutting down a company and keeping that company's drivers and trucks off the road.

A bad-safety-practices company draws DOT attention and gets shut down. What happens? The same people and equipment resurface under a different company name and the DOT shuts that company down too. What will they do next? It is obvious that they don't care about the rules. They care more about finding ways to get around them. What will they do next?

We all know stories of repeat drunk drivers who work their way up to having their driver's license revoked but they keep driving. We all know of cases of truck drivers who are out there driving big rigs without valid licenses. We all know the stories about people who repeatedly run through toll booths without paying and ignore the letters demanding payment and let their toll bills rise to tens of thousands of dollars and keep running the toll booths. We know that online info about how to beat a drug test is very popular. People trying to beat drug tests are not trying to do the right thing. They are trying to do the wrong thing so they can drive a truck or work in other occupations where drug tests are used.

There comes a point with rule making when the rules get too burdensome for one's liking and people simply decide to ignore or find ways to get around them. While I'm sure it works on some, shutting down other rule-breaking trucking companies once or twice or even three times does not make the rule-breakers go away. They will just get more creative in finding other ways to run when they should not be.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

There is a difference between shutting down a company and keeping that company's drivers and trucks off the road.

A bad-safety-practices company draws DOT attention and gets shut down. What happens? The same people and equipment resurface under a different company name and the DOT shuts that company down too. What will they do next? It is obvious that they don't care about the rules. They care more about finding ways to get around them. What will they do next?

We all know stories of repeat drunk drivers who work their way up to having their driver's license revoked but they keep driving. We all know of cases of truck drivers who are out there driving big rigs without valid licenses. We all know the stories about people who repeatedly run through toll booths without paying and ignore the letters demanding payment and let their toll bills rise to tens of thousands of dollars and keep running the toll booths. We know that online info about how to beat a drug test is very popular. People trying to beat drug tests are not trying to do the right thing. They are trying to do the wrong thing so they can drive a truck or work in other occupations where drug tests are used.

There comes a point with rule making when the rules get too burdensome for one's liking and people simply decide to ignore or find ways to get around them. While I'm sure it works on some, shutting down other rule-breaking trucking companies once or twice or even three times does not make the rule-breakers go away. They will just get more creative in finding other ways to run when they should not be.

Confiscate their equipment

 

[ATeam]

Confiscate their equipment

Effective. But it is not done.

 

[BobWolf]

Yep......It does........

Little Issues......Like negatively dinging a Drivers Record for 2 years over a Burnt Out marker light. Lights go out on trucks and trailers......Period. You can have a perfect PTI at 7 am in the morning, have a light suddenly go out going down the road at 7:42 am, get stopped for a Level 1 at 8:05 am, and have a Negative Ding on your CSA Score for 2 years over that 1 light.

Infractions like that I do not agree with. 4-5-6 Lights out on your truck or trailer.....write 'em up. 1 light.....Let 'em fix it right there in front of ya.....and then leave 'em alone. No reason to write that down on anything. (Remember......even if a Citation is not issued, but is still written down on the Level 1 Report, it goes against the Drivers Record)

I agree and thats why CAS is B.S.
By the way, if you have any bad inspections you have to do FMCSAs job for them and make suer they list a bad inspection ONLY ONCE so they dont total your clean safety record.