Rig that caused 14-car pileup owned by company with history of violations

July 27, 2011
AP Transport of Blaine, WA, owner of a truck that caused a massive crash on Interstate 90 in Washington last week, has a history of safety violations, reports KOMO News

AP Transport of Blaine, WA, owner of a truck that caused a massive crash on Interstate 90 in Washington last week, has a history of safety violations, reports KOMO News.

The Washington State Patrol said the big rig started a chain reaction 14-vehicle accident in which a 9-year-old girl was critically injured and six other motorists were hurt.

Mike Mullins, a log truck driver, was the first hit by the AP Transport rig.

“The other truck? Yeah, I remember him going way too fast for the traffic that was stopped in front of him,” Mullins told KOMO. “All I seen was him come to the left a little bit as I was going by. And then I felt him hit me.”

The inspection records for AP Transport showed a fairly high record of defective vehicles; 42% of them had been pulled from service, according Det. Greg Wilcoxson of Washington State Patrol. State records showed the state patrol has conducted 52 random inspections on AP vehicles. Of those, AP had 24 maintenance violations, including seven problems with the brakes and four tire violations all serious enough that the state took the trucks out of service.

Additionally, the U.S. Dept. of Transportation gave AP Transport an 84.7% overall safety rating; the best records should be between 1 and 20%, according to KOMO.

Sponsored Recommendations

Heavy-Duty Maintenance Checklist

A maintenance checklist can help ensure you hit everything necessary during an inspection. Check out our free downloadable checklist to help streamline your repairs.

Five Ways a Little Data Can Save Your Company Millions

While most trucking and logistics companies rely on cellular to keep their work fleet connected, satellite has the ability to connect anywhere and through small data transmission...

Fleet Case Study: 15% YOY Growth for ITDS

Learn how this small trucking company scaled significantly and maintained outstanding customer service without adding additional people. Sylectus TMS can automate operations and...

Unlocking Fleet Safety & Efficiency: The Managed Service Advantage

Want to boost your fleet's safety and efficiency? Tune in now to discover the power of Managed Services in optimizing your safety program, streamlining operations, and making ...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of FleetOwner, create an account today!