Democratic Whip, Senator Dick Durbin is calling for an audit of the FMCSA’s investigative practices. A crash in January, involving DND International where a toll worker was killed, brought the agency’s incompetence to light.
The FMCSA ordered an investigation of DND in August 2013, but investigation of the carrier did not even begin until after the January 2014 crash. That is when the agency ordered the carrier to shut down.
Durbin has written a letter to General Calvin L. Scovell III noting that DND has a long history of violating safety rules and wants to ensure motor carriers flagged for investigation are being investigated in a timely manner.”
A call to investigate the FMCSA was also issued by The National Transportation Safety Board last November. The NTSB findings raised serious questions about the agency’s investigative capabilities, citing four accidents where there was a total of 25 people killed and 83 injured.
An article in the April 9th issue of the Chicago Tribune reported that the FMCSA did enforce actions against DND in 2011, but then closed the case “without forcing the carrier to resolve numerous safety deficiencies.”
The DND driver involved in the January crash has been charged with multiple felonies despite the fact that he had been on duty for over 30 hours with very little rest.
Drivers, have you ever driven for carriers who forced you to work more hours than allowed or let you take the blame for an accident that was clearly a result of the carrier’s faulty equipment or illegal practices?
Tell us if you think the FMCSA is doing a good job.
