The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) declared a Wyoming-based school bus driver an imminent hazard to public safety for alcohol violations.
On March 16, 2022, the FMCSA issued CDL holder David R. Williams a federal order to immediately cease operating any commercial motor vehicle in interstate or intrastate commerce.
The order was issued following an incident that occurred on February 16, 2022, as Williams was transporting high school students from Cheyenne, Wyoming, to Spearfish, South Dakota, for a school event.
The school bus was pulled over for an inspection after a Wyoming Highway Patrol observed Williams following too closely and failing to maintain lane control.
After Williams failed a field sobriety test, he submitted to a breath test which showed an alcohol concentration of approximately .15, well over the .04 threshold for a commercial motor vehicle driver.
The FMCSA also says that video showed Williams drinking alcohol before and during the process of transporting students.
Williams is Williams is now listed as prohibited in FMCSA’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. He may also face criminal charges.
FMCSA’s imminent hazard disqualification order states that William’s “blatant violations of the FMCSRs and disregard for the safety of your school-age passengers and other highway users demonstrated by these actions substantially increases the likelihood of serious injury or death to you and the motoring public.”