Aurora-based trucking company GD Cars Inc. has recently been ordered by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to cease all operations after an investigation revealed that the company failed in numerous areas of safety protocol.
The order, which said the trucking company poses an “imminent hazard to public safety,” cited the following breaches of safety: failure to maintain its vehicles; failure to ensure its drivers are licensed and trained; failure to screen drivers for drugs and alcohol misuse or maintain sufficient insurance.
According to a spokesman from GD Cars, the company intends to address the problems noted by investigators. The order, which was the result of a routine investigation, listed a number of specific instances of safety concerns.
On one occasion, the trucking company dispatched a truck with a trailer to Kansas to pick up another company-owned truck and trailer that had been impounded for serious safety deficiencies. The truck that went to retrieve the impounded truck was subsequently stopped by the Kansas Highway Patrol for a safety inspection, which resulted in that truck being impounded when serious safety deficiencies were discovered.
Among the other deficiencies noted was that the company failed to ensure its drivers were complying with federal hours-of-service regulations, which ensure that drivers get adequate rest in order to avoid fatigued driving accidents.
Safety regulations are important, because their ultimate goal is to ensure that no other drivers on the road are put at risk. When a trucking company fails to abide by these standards, they face the threat of punishment from federal regulators, as well as civil liability for injuries and fatalities they cause.
Source: Denver Post, “Feds order Aurora trucking firm off road because of safety violations,” Monte Whaley, May 24, 2013.
