The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has declared Darlington, S.C.-based trucking company Carnell Pompey, which is doing business as Mortise Trucking Company, USDOT No. 1339109, to be an imminent hazard to public safety and ordered that it immediately shut down.
"Any vehicle, especially a large commercial combination vehicle such as a truck and trailer, that is not maintained or repaired and allowed to become a serious public hazard, is absolutely unacceptable," said FMCSA Chief Counsel Scott Darling. "FMCSA's safety regulations exist to protect everyone. Compliance is not optional. If a motor carrier does not adhere to the safety regulations, we will see that it does not operate."
In late March, FMCSA safety investigators launched an investigation of Mortise Trucking, during which numerous serious violations of federal regulations were found, including:
- Failing to systematically inspect, repair and maintain its commercial vehicles. On six separate occasions in the past 12 months, a tractor-trailer operated by Mortise Trucking was placed out-of-service following roadside safety inspections for mechanical defects including inadequate brakes, brake system pressure loss, oil-contaminated brake and steering components, and worn tires.
- Failing to conduct required controlled substances and alcohol use testing regulations.
- Failing to comply with driver qualification requirements and drivers' hours-of-service regulations designed to prevent fatigue.
The FMCSA imminent hazard order directs Mortise Trucking to cease all commercial motor vehicle operations immediately, including all interstate and intrastate transportation, from all dispatching locations or terminals.
FMCSA also simultaneously revoked the carrier's federal operating authority and suspended its USDOT number. Violating an imminent hazard out-of-service order and operating without operating authority and a USDOT number may result in civil penalties up to $60,000 as well as a criminal penalty, including a fine of up to $25,000 and imprisonment not to exceed one year.
