Calling U&D Service Inc. an “imminent hazard,” the U.S. Dept. of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) ordered the Indianapolis, IN, carrier to cease all transportation services immediately.
FMCSA conducted a review of the company’s operations and said it found “multiple federal safety violations including a continuous pattern of using drivers without valid commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) and using drivers that do not meet federal English proficiency requirements.”
“Safety is the U.S. Dept. of Transportation’s highest priority,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “We are committed to aggressively removing from our roads unsafe truck companies that place the traveling public at risk.”
According to FMCSA, U&D Service was using drivers who did “comply with commercial driver's license requirements, English proficiency requirements, vehicle weight limits and tire load weight limits, thereby posing an ongoing and continuing imminent hazard.”
“FMCSA will continue to do everything within its current legal authority to remove unsafe truck companies like U & D Service from our roadways. The traveling public deserves no less,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro.
In the 11-page order, available here, FMCSA said U&D was classified as a “new entrant carrier” on May 27, 2011, subjecting it to increased scrutiny in its first 18 months of operation.
“From Nov. 3, 2011, through Jan. 27, 2012, the Indiana State Police (ISP) conducted roadside inspections of U&D Service Inc.’s commercial motor vehicles approximately 26 times,” FMCSA wrote. “Based on these inspections, the ISP has cited U&D Service Inc.’s drivers twelve times for lacking a required commercial driver’s license (49 C.F.R. § 383.23), ten times for exceeding vehicle weight limits (49 C.F.R. § 392.2), eight times for exceeding tire weight limits (49 C.F.R. § 393.75(f)) and 21 times for English proficiency violations (49 C.F.R. § 391.11(b)(2)).”
According to FMCSA, U&D has 43 drivers and 44 power units hauling general freight and refrigerated goods.
