Kentucky driver shutdown by FMCSA over false logs, fatal crash

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Updated Jul 23, 2015

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has issued an imminent hazard out-of-service order, effectively a shutdown order, to a Kentucky-based driver after FMCSA determined he falsified his records-of-duty status in the days leading up to a crash that killed six.

Kentucky-licensed truck driver Benjamin Scott Brewer has been ordered by the FMCSA to not operate any commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce following his involvement in a nine-vehicle, six fatality crash along Interstate 75 in Chattanooga, Tenn., on June 25.

Brewer was served the federal order on Sunday, July 19.

An ongoing investigation by FMCSA revealed Brewer had falsified his records-of-duty status in the days leading up to the crash, FMCSA says, specifically reporting he had been off duty from June 15 until 7 a.m. on June 25.

The vehicle tracking system used by his employer, along with other records, showed Brewer had been on-duty and driving June 22, 23 and 24, according to a report from the Department of Transportation.

Brewer’s application for employment, dated June 16, 2015, required him to list all accidents and traffic convictions during the previous three years, but he omitted a June 2013 crash and a January 2015 citation for speeding 16-20 miles per hour over the speed limit, FMCSA says.

In May, he tested positive for controlled substances following a court-ordered controlled substances test, according to the DOT’s report.

FMCSA is assisting the National Transportation Safety Board in the investigation of the June 25 crash that led to this order.