The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has had their hands full for quite some time now due to negligent trucking operators from coast to coast. From one trucker who was allegedly intoxicated by cocaine while driving to another that did not even have a valid commercial driver’s license, more and more trucks are being shut down by the agency with no apparent end in sight.
One trucking company based out of South Carolina, Mortise Trucking, has had a particularly high number of run-ins with the FMCSA since last year. Reports state that a truck controlled by a Mr. Pompey showed signs of violations in 11 out of 12 inspections over the course of several months. The only inspection that the vehicle did pass was a quick “walk-around” inspection that doesn’t even look under the truck for problems. After word of the repeated violations reached the FMSCA, they were quick to step in and have ultimately shut down the trucking operation.
What Took So Long for Intervention?
The trouble that the FMSCA is encountering is that there is so much red tape in between them and a trucking company. For example, they require an unsafe safety rating from their own organization to shut an operation down, but operations can start and continue to work without ever receiving an FMSCA safety inspection. This means there are potentially thousands of trucks on highways that the FMSCA has yet to even look at.
In an attempt to speed matters up in their favor, the FMSCA has introduced the Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program, which aims to simplify and expedite the process of inspections. The same problem exists, however, of actually getting their inspectors to trucking operations – many trucks have yet to receive a CSA score.
Unfortunately, everything right now is adding up to unsafe road conditions for innocent motorists. With trucks out there hauling freight on defective parts or negligent truckers in control, it is only a matter of time until more devastating truck accidents occur.
Let the professional Columbus truck accident lawyers at Rourke and Blumenthal LLC know if you or a loved one has been hurt due to the wrongful actions of a commercial truck driver. With our 75+ years of combined legal and trial experience, we are confident we can find an amicable solution or beneficial settlement for your case. Call 614.321.3212 today to schedule a free consultation.