FMCSA Puts The Brakes On Louisiana Driver

The FMCSA today announced the agency has declared a Louisiana-licensed driver to be an imminent hazard to public safety.

The FMCSA has ordered truck driver Mark Isiah Gordon to not operate a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce.

The order was issued after Gordon was involved in a fatal crash on U.S. Highway 84 in Concordia Parish, Louisiana.

According to the FMCSA, on October 1, 2015, Gordon was driving a loaded logging truck on U.S. Highway 84.  His truck crossed the centerline and crashed into oncoming traffic, hitting a pickup truck head-on.

Three people were killed in the collision and one person was seriously injured.

“Following the crash, Gordon tested positive for amphetamines and methamphetamines,” an FMCSA press release states.

An investigation into the crash revealed that on the day of the crash, Gordon had driven in excess of allowable driving hours. In addition, they found “numerous additional instances of excessive hours-of-service limitations.”

A post-crash inspection of the truck revealed it had “seriously deficient brakes…a cracked frame and defective wheels…and steering system.”

The penalty for violating an OOS order is a $2,500 civil penalty and disqualification from operating a CMV for not less than 180 days.