The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Friday, March 30, announced that it has ordered Utah-based Reliable Transportation Services Inc. to immediately cease all transportation services, declaring the trucking company and its principal, Jay Zachary Barber, an imminent hazard to public safety.
FMCSA said its order follows an extensive review of the Reliable Transportation’s operations, which found multiple hours-of-service, hazardous materials, drug and alcohol testing and vehicle maintenance violations, as well as a high occurrence of recent crashes.
“Safety is our top priority,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Commercial truck companies that blatantly disregard safety should not be on our roadways and will be shut down.”
FMCSA said it immediately shut down Reliable Transportation after safety investigators found hours-of-service and driver qualification violations that substantially increased the likelihood of serious injury or death to the traveling public. Investigators discovered that the company was using drivers with suspended or revoked commercial driver’s licenses and operating without a driver drug and alcohol testing program. In addition, Reliable Transportation was transporting concealed hazardous material loads without valid federal registration, FMCSA said.
“This agency will continue to exhaust every resource within its legal authority to pursue and shut down unsafe trucking companies that place the public at risk,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro. “Companies that refuse to adhere to federal safety rules will not be allowed to operate.”
