FMCSA Puts The Brakes On Two Intoxicated Drivers

This month, the FMCSA ordered a New Mexico driver to cease operation of any commercial vehicle, declaring the driver an imminent hazard to the public’s safety.

On April 29, 2013, tanker truck driver Bobby C. Cleveland ,55, was hauling 2,400 gallons of propane to McKinley County, New Mexico when Cleveland’s truck overturned, releasing hazardous material and closing down Interstate 40.

During an investigation, authorities found that Cleveland was operating the CMV while “under the influence of an intoxicating beverage.”

“Safety is our highest priority,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “We are committed to taking unsafe truck drivers who endanger the public off our nation’s roads.”

A second driver was also placed out of service.  On May 8, 2013, South Carolina driver Arnold Bradford Williams was ordered to not operate any CMV.

“On April 6, 2013, Williams, a commercial driver’s license (CDL) holder, was operating a commercial vehicle on I-20 in Georgia when he was stopped by a Georgia State Police officer and charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol. In late January 2013, Williams was charged by the North Charleston, S.C., Police Department with reckless homicide and possessing an open alcohol beverage container. The arrest followed a crash of the tractor-trailer he was operating on Interstate-526 with four stopped vehicles, resulting in one fatality and three injuries. The police investigation remains open,” the order states.

“FMCSA inspectors and investigators are working shoulder-to-shoulder with our state and local law partners to vigorously enforce commercial vehicle safety regulations,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. “It is unacceptable for a bus or trucking company, or any of its drivers, to disregard the law and put the safety of every traveler at risk.”