The FMCSA today announced the agency has put the brakes on an Indiana carrier for failing to “cooperate in an investigation of the carrier’s compliance with federal safety regulations.”
On July 21, 2014, 51-year-old- Fransisco Espinal-Quiroz, a driver for Espinal Trucking, collided into a line of passenger vehicles that had slowed in a construction zone along Interstate 55 in Will County, Illinois.
Five people died in the crash.
The FMCSA attempted a thorough investigation of the incident, however, representatives for Espinal Trucking allegedly denied FMCSA investigators access to company records.
“On or about July 30, 2014, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (“FMCSA”) attempted to conduct an investigation into the commercial motor vehicle operations of FRANCISCO ESPINAL QUIROZ, dba ESPINAL TRUCKING (“ESPINAL TRUCKING”). Following proper demand, ESPINAL TRUCKING denied investigators access to records in violation of 49 U.S,C. § 504 (c). FMCSA issued and served a written demand for the records on July 28, 2014, setting a deadline for compliance of 8:00a.m. on July 30, 2014. The demand letter indicated d1at ESPINAL TRUCKING was to produce at Indiana State Police Post, 1425 Miami Trail, Bremen, Indiana 46506, the documents necessary for FMCSA to conduct an investigation of ESPINAL TRUCKING’s motor carrier operations. ESPINAL TRUCKING failed to obey the demand, and pursuantto 49 U.S.C. § 525 (as amended Oct. I, 20 12), it is hereby:
“ORDERED, that the operating authority registration granted to ESPINAL TRUCKING, by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration under 49 U.S.C. § 13902 BE AND IS IMMEDIATELY SUSPENDED. If ESPINAL TRUCKING obeys the demand, FMCSA will consider reinstating ESPINAL TRUCKING’s operating authority registration,” the FMCSA Order to Suspend Operating Authority Registration states.