The FMCSA is continuing to honor its pledge to shut down unsafe passenger carriers— since its vow to do so, the FMCSA has shut down 4 unsafe passenger carriers.
On Friday, the FMCSA announced it shut down Ming An, Inc., an interstate passenger carrier based in New York City, declaring the carrier, “an imminent hazard to public safety.”
“We are committed to removing unsafe bus and truck companies from our highways and roads,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “We will not let up and we will not slow down. Companies that ignore our safety regulations will not be tolerated.”
The FMCSA investigated Ming An’s and found the company failed to conduct pre-employment drug and alcohol screening and the company allowed unqualified drivers to operate its vehicles in an unsafe manner. Many of the drivers received numerous speeding citations.
In addition, the company did not require its drivers to maintain log books or conduct vehicle safety inspections as required by federal regulations.
During the inspection, investigators found Ming An’s buses and vans had been modified with after-market seats in violation of federal safety requirements.
According to the out of service order:
On February 13, 2013, FMCSA began a comprehensive investigation of Ming An because the carrier was scoring very poorly on FMCSA’s Safety Measurement System (SMS), a safety performance algorithm, updated monthly, that the Agency uses to identify high risk carriers. Ming An’s SMS scores put it in the top (highest risk) percentiles for poor safety ratings: Unsafe Driving 99.8%; Hours of Service 68.8%; Driver Fitness 98.6%. FMCSA’s investigation revealed egregious regulatory violations demonstrating Ming A n ‘ s blatant disregard for motor coach passenger safety.
“This is a company that operates unsafely,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro. “It frequently uses part-time, unqualified drivers, and often ignores basic safety maintenance and operating standards.”